Near Big Pool in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Fort Frederick
A Witness to War
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 22, 2006
1. Fort Frederick Marker
Inscription.
Fort Frederick. A Witness to War. Built by the Maryland colony in 1756 during the French and Indian War, Fort Frederick’s stone walls surrounded three large buildings. The colonists abandoned the frontier fort in 1759, when the threat of Indian raids subsided. During the Revolutionary War, the fort confined hundreds of British prisoners. The state auctioned the fort and about 100 acres in the 1790s. The property changed hands several times; in 1860, Nathan Williams, a free African American, bought the place and farmed the land. By then, time and scavengers had demolished the buildings. , With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the area around Fort Frederick again became strategically significant. The U.S. Army acted to protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal a quarter-mile south of the fort and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad across the Potomac River in present-day West Virginia. The 1st Maryland Infantry (U.S.) under the command of Colonel John Kenly arrived in December 1861 to guard the canal and the fords and ferries between Four Locks, to the east, and Cherry Run, to the west. Company H occupied Fort Frederick. On Christmas Day 1861, the regiment skirmished nearby with Confederate raiders who tore up the railroad. Company D relieved Company H here in January 1862, then crossed the river at the end of February to protect the railroad while it was under repair. In October 1862, a 12th Illinois Cavalry picket guarded the canal “immediately south of old Fort Frederick,” and other Federals later occupied the area.
Built by the Maryland colony in 1756 during the French and Indian War, Fort Frederick’s stone walls surrounded three large buildings. The colonists abandoned the frontier fort in 1759, when the threat of Indian raids subsided. During the Revolutionary War, the fort confined hundreds of British prisoners. The state auctioned the fort
and about 100 acres in the 1790s. The property changed hands several times; in 1860, Nathan
Williams, a free African American, bought the
place and farmed the land. By then, time and
scavengers had demolished the buildings.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in
1861, the area around Fort Frederick again became strategically significant. The U.S. Army acted to protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal a quarter-mile south of the fort and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad across the Potomac
River in present-day West Virginia. The 1st Maryland Infantry (U.S.) under the command of
Colonel John Kenly arrived in December 1861 to guard the canal and the fords and ferries between
Four Locks, to the east, and Cherry Run, to the west. Company H occupied Fort
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Frederick. On
Christmas Day 1861, the regiment skirmished
nearby with Confederate raiders who tore up the railroad. Company D relieved Company H here in January 1862, then crossed the river at the end of February to protect the railroad while it was under repair. In October 1862, a 12th Illinois Cavalry picket guarded the canal “immediately south of old Fort Frederick,” and other Federals later occupied the area.
Location. 39° 36.616′ N, 78° 0.292′ W. Marker is near Big Pool, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker is on Fort Frederick Road south of Big Pool Road (Maryland Route 56), on the right when traveling south. It is front of
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 22, 2006
2. Markers and Fort Walls
Museum can be seen behind the trees on the right.
the Sulter Souvenier & Concession Shop at the Fort Frederick State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Big Pool MD 21711, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regarding Fort Frederick. In the 20th Century, the fort and surrounding acreage became Maryland’s first state park. There is no entrance or parking fee at this park after Labor Day and before Memorial Day, and it is convenient to Interstate 70 at Exit 12. Camping sites are available near the C&O Canal and Potomac River.
A set of stocks are in the foreground in front of the conical tree. The fort is behind the photographer.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 22, 2006
4. Fort Frederick Entrance
Single entrance to the fort faces south-southeast towards the Potomac River. The roofs and chimneys of the barracks show over the stone walls. Click on "Click for map" in the Location Section above, zoom in, and switch to the satellite view for an excellent overhead photograph of the fort.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 22, 2006
5. Barracks Building Inside the Fort
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 4,293 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 20, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.