I was posted at Accra in 1946-47 at the American Consulate, and took the occasion
to visit as many as I could of the old trading forts built by European companies
along the coast of the then British colony of the Gold Coast. This was long before
the World Heritage program started, but fortunately, the colonial administration
had taken steps to preserve most of the old forts. One served as the Residence of
the Governor of Cold Coast Colony, at least one was in use as a prison, some were
kept as museums, and many were preserved as temporary residences for travelling
colonial officials. No fees were charged for admission, but access was of course
controlled. I took photographs of most of the moe notable sites I visited, but
have not been back since I left the Gold Coast in December,1947. It is good that
the Government of independent Ghana has involved UNESCO in calling attention to
these historic buildings, built by companies from various countries and in cases
just outside of cannon shot range from a fort of another country.