TAFT, Calif. -- It might be one of the last places you'd expect a fort to be built, but the Historic Fort stands tall as one of Taft's lasting icons.

"It's the only building in Taft that's on a historical record," David Cothrun, a director at the fort, said. "It is a historical place, and there will never be another one like it."

The Fort was built in 1940 as a result of Depression-era public works projects, and will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year. It was built as a replica of Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, and originally housed many county services.

That includes a hospital where several Taft residents were born. The Fort holds celebrations every five years in honor of these "Fort babies".

Originally built entirely of adobe, much of the Fort survived the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake. Regardless, the county deemed it unsafe to house governmental services in 1980.

Former Assemblyman Trice Harvey then led the charge to make it a historical monument, which prevented it from being demolished.

The Fort remains a significant place for people in Taft to gather.

"Babies have been born here, weddings have been here, parties and meetings and graduations and class reunions, just so many events that bring back memories for people," Edith Laurin, the executive director of the Fort Preservation Society, said. "So we'd like to preserve it for their children and grand-children to enjoy."

Today, grant-based organizations and businesses are now tenants at the Fort.

"I just feel honored to be here at the Fort," Pamela Dudley, owner of the "A Hint of Class" store, said. "I wanted a neat place to have my business and this is a great place to have it."

It's also a good place, Cothrun says, for visitors to re-charge.

"It is the place of tranquility in Taft," he said. "You can come in here mad, mean as the world and you come in, you look around and you walk around and those angry thoughts go away, and that's a good thing."