Shaochuantou Fort stands on a hillock at the end of Takao mountain, with the title “Syongjhen North Gate” inscribed over its gate. It is shaped irregularly due to the area’s topography and has two six-inch muzzle loading Armstrong guns mounted on the battlements. Fortified brick walls on both sides of the entrance exude traditional Taiwanese architectural charm. The interior is mostly semi-underground, with both sides of the back ramp leading to the barracks and storage space. The thick walls are frame constructed and built with materials including concrete and coral stone, whereas the curved cannon mount is laid in red brick. Shaochuantou Fort was retired from military use under the Japanese rule, becoming a signal station and dredging office to supervise the vessel navigation and dock construction in Takao harbor. After the war, additional posts and walls were added with the remaining space rebuilt, and at one time used as the Kaohsiung Port and Taiwan Railway Bureau staff dormitories.
鼓山／雄鎮北門
1874年發生牡丹社事件後，沈葆禎先後派淮軍統領唐定奎、副將王福祿主持打狗港礟台的興建，聘請英籍工程師設計、督造。其中，打狗港北側的哨船頭礟臺於1876年完工，額題「雄鎮北門」，建在打狗山尾端的小丘上，因地形關係而呈現不規則形狀，設有兩門六吋阿姆斯壯式前膛砲。礟臺入口營門上方設有雉堞，兩側斗仔砌磚牆散發臺灣傳統建築的韻味，內部空間多採半地下化形式，營門後坡道的兩側可以通往兵舍與貯藏空間。礟臺四周厚牆材料包含三合土與老古石，主要以版築法構成，弧形砲座則使用紅磚砌築。
日本時代的哨船頭礟臺已不作為軍事使用，總督府土木部在礟臺區設置信號所與浚渫事務所，肩負起打狗港船隻航行與碼頭建設的重任。到了戰後，信號所沿用為船舶信號台，西側臨海處因戒嚴緣故而新建哨所與圍牆，其餘陸續增、改建的空間，則曾作為高雄港務局與臺灣鐵路局的員工宿舍。
文／陳坤毅
圖／高雄市政府文化局