Fort Frederick State Park
Encyclopedia
Fort Frederick State Park is a Maryland
state park surrounding the restored Fort Frederick, a fort from the French and Indian War
and American Revolutionary War
. The park is south of the town of Big Pool
on the Potomac River
; the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
runs through the park grounds. The fort was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1973.
in 1756 a £6000 appropriation was authorized by the Maryland Legislature at the request of Governor Horatio Sharpe
to build a fortification on the frontier. The fort, named after Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore
, was completed the following year. The large stone fort was designed primarily as a place of refuge for area settlers. It was not designed to resist artillery, as it was correctly assumed that the French would not be able to transport artillery to the remote location from the west. The fort served its purpose in 1763 during Pontiac's Rebellion
; however, the fort was never directly attacked. From 1777 to 1783 the fort was used as a prisoner of war camp for as many as 1,000 captured British and German soldiers.
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Fort Frederick was sold at auction in 1791 and lay abandoned until the American Civil War
. The fort was garrisoned at the outbreak of war and was used as a gun emplacement to protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
, which paralleled the canal. The 1st Maryland Infantry (US) occupied the area in December 1861 and Company H fought in a skirmish at the fort against Confederate raiders on Christmas Day, 1861. The regiment left in February 1862. In October 1862 a picket from the 12th Illinois Cavalry briefly occupied the area. The military usefulness of the fort ended by 1862. In 1922 the property was acquired by the State of Maryland for use as Maryland's first state park. The walls had deteriorated, but were standing up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in places. Archeological investigations and the discovery of the original plans allowed a complete reconstruction. Much of the restoration work of the 1930s was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps
.
s at each corner. Each face of the curtain wall
is about 179 feet (54.6 m) long, 17.5 feet (5.3 m) high and 3 foot (0.9144 m) thick at the base. The bastions project diagonally about 100 feet (30.5 m), are 4.5 feet (1.4 m) thick at the base, and were filled with earth to provide a platform. The main gate is located in the center of the south curtain wall. Two of the three barracks buildings have been restored. The west barrack is reconstructed to its 1758 appearance, while the east barrack contains displays regarding the history of the fort. The north barrack, known as the Governor's House, has not been reconstructed.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
state park surrounding the restored Fort Frederick, a fort from the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
and American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The park is south of the town of Big Pool
Big Pool, Maryland
Big Pool is an unincorporated community in western Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is between Clear Spring, Maryland and Hancock, Maryland along U.S. Route 40 and is officially a part of the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area....
on the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
; the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
runs through the park grounds. The fort was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1973.
History
Fort Frederick was built in 1756-57 by the colony of Maryland. During the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in 1756 a £6000 appropriation was authorized by the Maryland Legislature at the request of Governor Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
to build a fortification on the frontier. The fort, named after Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, 4th Proprietor of Maryland was an English nobleman and last in the line of Barons Baltimore...
, was completed the following year. The large stone fort was designed primarily as a place of refuge for area settlers. It was not designed to resist artillery, as it was correctly assumed that the French would not be able to transport artillery to the remote location from the west. The fort served its purpose in 1763 during Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
; however, the fort was never directly attacked. From 1777 to 1783 the fort was used as a prisoner of war camp for as many as 1,000 captured British and German soldiers.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The fort was garrisoned at the outbreak of war and was used as a gun emplacement to protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
, which paralleled the canal. The 1st Maryland Infantry (US) occupied the area in December 1861 and Company H fought in a skirmish at the fort against Confederate raiders on Christmas Day, 1861. The regiment left in February 1862. In October 1862 a picket from the 12th Illinois Cavalry briefly occupied the area. The military usefulness of the fort ended by 1862. In 1922 the property was acquired by the State of Maryland for use as Maryland's first state park. The walls had deteriorated, but were standing up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in places. Archeological investigations and the discovery of the original plans allowed a complete reconstruction. Much of the restoration work of the 1930s was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
.
Description
The fort is a large stone quadrangle with bastionBastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s at each corner. Each face of the curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
is about 179 feet (54.6 m) long, 17.5 feet (5.3 m) high and 3 foot (0.9144 m) thick at the base. The bastions project diagonally about 100 feet (30.5 m), are 4.5 feet (1.4 m) thick at the base, and were filled with earth to provide a platform. The main gate is located in the center of the south curtain wall. Two of the three barracks buildings have been restored. The west barrack is reconstructed to its 1758 appearance, while the east barrack contains displays regarding the history of the fort. The north barrack, known as the Governor's House, has not been reconstructed.
External links
- Fort Frederick State Park
- USGS aerial image of fort
- Fort Frederick State Park, Washington County, including photo in 1977, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Color Aerial 2009