Stone Fort Marker

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Sandy Hook in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Stone Fort

By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

1. Stone Fort Marker

Inscription. To command Maryland Heights' highest point, the Federals built this massive foundation, called the Stone Fort in the winter of 1862-63.

Union engineers designed this defense as an infantry blockhouse to ward off Confederate attack along the crest. The Northerners completed the blockhouse foundation but never constructed a superstructure. By September, 1863, the Union garrison had transformed the Stone Fort into a commissary and storage area.

During an inspection by Brig. Gen. Max Weber in April 1864, the Stone Fort was described as "surrounded with a wall of solid stone, containing rations for five thousand men, [and] only covered with boards." - a practical but unfitting use for this imposing structure.

Location. 39° 20.542′ N, 77° 43.12′ W. Marker is in Sandy Hook, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from Sandy Hook Road. Click for map. Located on the Stone Fort Trail loop of Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Marker is in this post office area: Knoxville MD 21758, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Interior Fort (within shouting distance of this marker); Exterior Fort (about 500 feet away, in a direct line); Civil War Campgrounds (approx. 0.4 miles away); Charcoal Making on Maryland Heights (approx. 0.6 miles away); 100 - Pounder Battery - Heaviest and Highest (approx. 0.6 miles away); Making a Mountain Citadel (approx. 0.7 miles away); 30-Pounder Battery (approx. 0.8 miles away); Hiking Maryland Heights (approx. 0.8 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Sandy Hook.

Archaeological Plan of the Fort Photo, Click for full size

By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

2. Archaeological Plan of the Fort

The left edge of the plan is the north side of the fort.

More about this marker. On the lower left is "The original plan for the Stone Fort, October 10, 1862, designed by military engineer Lt. Charles Suter."

In the upper right is a diagram of the fort from recent excavations, "In plan view, as drawn by archaeologists, the Stone Fort consists of a rectangular stone foundation, 100' x 40', flanked by two stone bastions. The soil-filled fort contrasts with the exposed bedrock along the nearby crest.

On the lower right is "An 1863 sketch, by George Kaiser, of the military fortifications around Harpers Ferry. The Stone Fort complex is identified as a red rectangle, dominating the crest of Maryland Heights."

Regarding Stone Fort. This marker is one of a set along the National Park Service's trail to the top of Maryland Heights. You can see the other markers in this set through the Maryland Heights Virtual Tour by Markers link below.

Also see . . .
1. Maryland Heights. National Park Service details about the heights and the hiking trail. (Submitted on January 27, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Maryland Heights Virtual Tour by Markers. A set of markers relating the history of Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. (Submitted on February 2, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)