The "Old Stone Barracks" is the last remaining structure of a proposed quadrangle

Quadrangle (architecture)

In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...

 of early U.S. Army barracks

Barracks

Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...

 built at Plattsburgh, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1838. Of the four main buildings initially planned for the Plattsburgh post, only two were ever constructed, an officer's barracks and an enlisted barracks which formed an "L" shape. The officer's barracks, which Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 was stationed at for a time while serving as a young Lieutenant, was damaged by fire and torn down in 1964. The remaining building, the 200 feet (61 m) long, two story "Old Stone Barracks," which is entirely constructed of locally quarried limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

, has been mostly empty since the early 1960s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1971. In December 2010 the Barracks and more than 7 acres of property were offered to a Canadian real estate developer for $35,000 with the intention of building an apartment complex on the historic site. The Barracks property is appraised at over $775,000 and the sale has sparked public outcry for its preservation.

Background

In the decades following the decisive British defeat at the Battle of Plattsburgh

Battle of Plattsburgh

The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812...

 and the close of the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, the United States Military still remained suspicious and wary of British Canada. Relations with England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 were not cordial following the war and the establishment of a permanent Army Post for a garrison

Garrison

Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....

 at Plattsburgh, along the strategically important Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...

 corridor, which for centuries had been a route for invasion, seemed an obvious choice. Although troops had been stationed there from roughly 1812 to 1825, no permanent military installation had been constructed with the men often being housed in dilapidated and inadequate log structures left over from the War. This was especially apparent in view of the usually harsh North Country winters. In an October, 1838 letter to the Commanding General of the United States Army

Commanding General of the United States Army

Prior to the institution of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1903, there was generally a single senior-most officer in the army. From 1783, he was known simply as the Senior Officer of the United States Army, but in 1821, the title was changed to Commanding General of the United...

, Major General Alexander Macomb, who had commanded at Plattsburgh during the 1814 Battle, Brigadier General Abraham Eustis

Abraham Eustis

Abraham Eustis was a lawyer and notable U.S. Army officer, eventually rising to become a Brevet Brigadier General...

 outlined the poor condition of the soldier's quarters there:

"I take the liberty of calling to your attention the deficiency of Quarters for the troops at this station. You are already informed that there is scarcely a vestige of the old barracks remaining and that in consequence I have directed the six old storehouses on the public ground to be repaired and fitted for temporary barracks . . ."

The establishment of a permanent Plattsburgh Barracks was also partly spurred on by the military buildup associated with the beginning of the 2nd Seminole War in 1835. The outbreak of the War had drawn nearly a quarter of the total strength of the Army to the War zone in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. This fact had blatantly demonstrated to lawmakers and military leaders alike that the standing peacetime strength of the United States Army was far too small to meet the nation's needs. In 1838, Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 raised the standing strength of the Army to 12,539 men and the need for housing for them ballooned overnight.

The innovative permanent Army post planned for Plattsburgh was initially to be four stone barracks structures positioned in a quadrangle around a 200 feet (61 m) square parade ground and surrounded by a wooden palisade

Palisade

A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...

 with a western facing gate. Construction began late in 1838 on a rise overlooking the lake about a mile outside of the village. The site selected for the post stood just to the south of the three remaining earthwork

Earthworks (engineering)

Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...

 fortifications left over from the 1814 siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

, Fort Brown, Fort Moreau, and Fort Scott. These forts, which had been carefully laid out prior to the Battle, had been constructed under the direction of Major Joseph Totten, an expert in military and tactical engineering of the period. Together with two smaller redoubt

Redoubt

A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...

s which had been erected later, Fort Tompkins and Fort Gaines, the Plattsburgh fortifications formed a pentagon of interlocking cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

 fire which could have protected the barracks from any hostile forces if the need arose.

By August, 1839 stonework had commenced and the exterior walls of both the officer's and enlisted men's barracks had been erected. The main barracks buildings were built of native limestone which was quarried nearby at Bluff Point and transported to the site. The water filled quarry

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

 where the limestone was excavated is still visible today. After this initial burst of progress, however, the site experienced several periods of stagnant and altogether halted construction due in part to bureaucratic red tape

Red tape

Red tape is excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making...

 from Washington. After numerous letters and solicitations were written to the Secretary of War by concerned Plattsburgh citizens, the Assistant Quartermaster General

Quartermaster general

A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...

 of the Army, Captain R. E. Clary was dispatched to oversee the construction project in September, 1841. Under Clary's supervision by September of the following year, it was reported to the Quartermaster General that the exterior work of the "company quarters" had been completed with the exception of the stone steps, portico floors, stairs leading to the upper level, and adjustment of the columns. Although reports claimed the buildings were nearing completion, the companies at Plattsburgh were still quartered in the old temporary wooden barracks through the winter of 1842-43 as the appropriation made for completing the work had been nearly exhausted. It would be nearly another year before two of the four buildings were ultimately finished and could be occupied in October, 1843.

When finally completed, the enlisted men's barracks, which would later be called simply the "Old Stone Barracks," was finished with a very attractive and distinctive two story tuscan columned

Tuscan order

Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...

 and corniced portico

Portico

A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...

 which runs the entire 200 feet (61 m) length of the building and was covered with a skillion roof

Skillion roof

A skillion roof is normally a single sloping roof surface, not attached to another roof surface. Skillion roofs are sometimes called a shed roof, a flat roof, in Australia or a lean-to in the UK....

. Initially four external staircases along this portico allowed the only access to the second floor. One stairway for each of the four large second floor rooms which served as each Company's living quarters. The smaller and slightly more elaborate neighboring officer's barracks was also finished with a similar two story portico although on the opposite side of the structure facing Lake Champlain where officers could enjoy the panoramic view and breeze of Plattsburgh Bay. Future 18th President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 occupied quarters in the officer's barracks while stationed at Plattsburgh as a young Lieutenant sometime between his graduation from West Point in 1843 and prior to serving in the Mexican War in 1846.

The enlisted barracks originally contained 18 rooms, several of which on the first floor were utilized as a post hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

, dispensary, Company office, Sergeant's room, Company kitchen, and mess hall. Four small storm-sheds and the hospital bathroom also extended off the first floor on the backside of the building. Many of the rooms were heated by individual coal stoves as well, providing a much appreciated measure of luxury for the soldiers during the winter months. Initially the western wall of the barracks was built of wood which would have allowed for an addition to be added to the structure later if the Army deemed it necessary. This never came to pass, however, and the temporary wooden wall was eventually finished in stone to match the rest of the facade. Within short order a host of smaller support buildings were erected at the post as well including a brick powder magazine

Powder Magazine

Powder Magazine, Powder House, or Powderworks may refer to:* Gunpowder magazine*Magazine , the general term-in the United States:* Powder Magazine , listed on the NRHP in Alabama...

, post headquarters

Headquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

, storehouse, carpenter

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

's shop, icehouse

Icehouse (building)

Ice houses were buildings used to store ice throughout the year, prior to the invention of the refrigerator. Some were underground chambers, usually man-made, close to natural sources of winter ice such as freshwater lakes, but many were buildings with various types of insulation.During the...

, guardhouse

Guardhouse

A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...

 with an area

Military prison

A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...

 for holding prisoners, and two deep wells

Water well

A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...

 for drinking water.

The military presence in the Champlain Valley

Champlain Valley

The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending slightly into Quebec, Canada as part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin drained northward by the Richelieu River into the St...

 was further augmented just four years after the completion of the new Army post at Plattsburgh when construction was begun in 1844 on Fort Montgomery

Fort Montgomery (Lake Champlain)

Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain refers to the second of two American forts built at the northernmost point on the lake: a first, unnamed fort built on the same site in 1816 and Fort Montgomery built in 1844....

 at nearby Rouses Point, a massive masonry fortification mounting 125 guns which would guard the northernmost point of Lake Champlain. Fort Montgomery, by design, was never permanently garrisoned and it was assumed that if the need arose, troops from Plattsburgh could quickly be marched there to man the fortification. In May 1850, Major Thomas J. Jackson, who would later be forever immortalized with the nickname "Stonewall," attended a court martial at Plattsburgh Barracks. While there he wrote his sister Laura Ann describing his surroundings:

"Plattsburg Barracks N.Y.

May 10th 1850

My Dear Sister,

You observe that I am now on the border of Canada, it is for the purpose of trying some prisoners.

My health is still improving and in a short time I expect to return home to Fort Hamilton. In coming to this place I have passed some charming scenery. This place is on the Western bank of Lake Champlain. I should like very much to visit Montreal and Quebec before returning South, but want of time and money will prevent it. On my way here I saw the old Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. And in front of this Garrison, was fought the great Naval action of the late war.

Remember me kindly to Mr. A and Family.

Your brother Thomas"

Various Infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 and Artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 units were stationed at Plattsburgh Barracks in spurts throughout the latter half of the 19th Century. Beginning in the early 1890s, a sprawling expansion program greatly enlarged the Army Post at Plattsburgh to the north with the construction of 3 much larger and more modern barracks, relegating the 1840 era structures to a much more secondary role. All of the old and long abandoned defensive fortifications still present, with the exception of Fort Brown, were leveled to form a mammoth 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) parade ground known as the "U.S. Oval." In 1892 during the removal of Fort Moreau, which had been the central and largest of the three American forts during the Battle of Plattsburgh, numerous human remains, as many as 25 individuals, were unearthed which had been hurriedly buried either during or immediately following the siege. A similar situation occurred when Fort Scott was leveled, with some thirty or more skeletons being removed from that site as well. Cannon balls and other 1814 artifacts that were also recovered were purportedly sent by the Army to the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 All of the recovered skeletons were buried with full military honors in the nearby "old post cemetery" in a mass grave marked by a large monument dedicated to unknown dead of the War of 1812.

It was also during this period that the 21st Infantry

21st Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 21st Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment.-Lineage:*Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry*Organized 20 May 1862 at Fort Hamilton, New York...

, known as the "President's Own," was stationed at Plattsburgh. Their nickname was bestowed upon them during their years at Plattsburgh by President William Mckinley

William McKinley

William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...

, who when frequently summering nearby at the luxurious Hotel Champlain, would often visit the Post to review the troops and attend performances by the unit's band. From their barracks here, the unit would be dispatched to see action in the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

 in 1898, as well as the Philippine–American War the following year.

In 1899, the original interiors of the "Old Stone Barracks" were gutted and modernized to serve as a barracks for the Post Band which it remained until 1906. During the updating of the structure, two of the external staircases on the front portico were removed and several internal stairways were constructed. It is believed that during this period, the original skillion or "shed" style roof was replaced over the portico with the hip roof

Hip roof

A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...

 we see today. Also, off the backside of the building where the four storm-sheds and hospital bathroom were originally located, several small single and two story porches were built to allow more convenient access to rooms from that side.

The barracks served in a variety of capacities throughout the first half of the 20th century. During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and the years immediately preceding it, the building served as part of the Civilian Military Training Camp at Plattsburgh, the brainchild of General Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines. Early in his military career, he received the Medal of Honor. Wood also holds officer service #2 in the Regular Army...

 and forerunner of today's ROTC program. In 1939, on the eve of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Plattsburgh Barracks hosted the massive 1st United States Army maneuvers, a huge pre-War training operation involving aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

, tanks, and roughly 20,000 soldiers. The barracks was last used as offices and then apartments for Air Force personnel at Plattsburgh Air Force Base

Plattsburgh Air Force Base

Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base covering 3,447 acres in the extreme northeast corner of New York, 20 miles south of the Canadian border...

 in the late 1950s. Following the demolition of the adjoining officer's quarters in 1964, the surviving "Old Stone Barracks" mostly remained dormant. Around this time the small 1899 era porch additions on the rear of the barracks were removed and the entire building was boarded up as a historical structure. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1971. With the impending closure of the base in 1995, one of the last official acts of the Air Force concerning the building was to perform asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...

 and lead paint

Lead paint

Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead, a heavy metal, that is used as pigment, with lead chromate and lead carbonate being the most common. Lead is also added to paint to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion...

 abatement, removing most of the remaining interior down to the studs, and replacing the barracks's slate

Slate

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...

 roof.

Today

Today the only structures which remain of the original 1840 era Army post are the barracks, its adjacent brick powder magazine, and the nearby "old post cemetery." The original post parade ground is also still present. These structures represent one of the last remaining examples of the first generation of permanent U.S. Army barracks in existence in the United States. In 2007, a section of paved road which ran beside the barracks and followed the route of the original dirt road into the post compound through the palisade gate was removed by the City of Plattsburgh.

The "Old Stone Barracks" itself has changed little since the departure of the Air Force in 1995 and remains boarded up and closed to the public. The "Old Stone Barracks" is often the target of vandalism

Vandalism

Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...

 and frequent break-ins due in part to the many ghost stories which have circulated on the internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 concerning this building and its purported (and false) use as a "field hospital

Field hospital

A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...

" during the Battle of Plattsburgh (24 years before the barracks was even built). Over the past several years, floodlights

High-intensity discharge lamp

High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of electrical lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. This tube is filled with both gas and metal salts. The gas facilitates the...

have been added that illuminate the front and rear of the barracks at night which has somewhat decreased the number of forced entries into the structure. Recently, however, many of the spindles which support the long railings of the barracks' signature two story portico, as many as 40 at last count, have been kicked out (as can be easily noted in the photo above of the barracks taken from the parade ground) and upon closer inspection, numerous large areas of rot and deterioration can be seen throughout the woodwork of the imposing structure.

In December 2010, It became public knowledge that the Old Stone Barracks and over 7 acres of surrounding property had been offered to Bernard Schneider, a Canadian real estate developer, for $35,000. The property is appraised at over $775,000. News of the pending sale immediately sparked a public outcry and spurred a Facebook campaign entitled "Save the Old Stone Barracks." Details of the proposed development include the construction of an apartment complex on the historic property.

External links

• Plattsburgh Barracks
• Link to a ghost related website containing numerous falsehoods regarding the structure including that it was used during the Revolutionary War: http://www.apnmag.com/Back%20in%20the%20Day/fall%2002/haunted/haunted.htm
• Link to the "Save the Old Stone Barracks" Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Save-the-Old-Stone-Barracks/158725324180306