Echoes of another time

I live in an area rich with maritime history.
I discovered Fort Sewall today.
It is an "earth fortified" bunker that "has protected Marblehead for three centuries".
As I walked around and over the bunker, I wondered about the people who were stationed there.
What did they see? Hear? Smell? Feel?
How many sea captains' wives paced nervously, staring out to sea, anxiously awaiting the fate of their loved ones?
What happened in the streets and homes of the town when an attack was imminent?
I love discovering the echos of history. It fascinates me.