Near Woodbrook in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Fire Power

Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014

1. Fire Power Marker

Inscription. Bellona Gunpowder Company mills, operating from 1801 to 1856, was located in present-day Robert E. Lee Park along the banks of the Jones Falls. Bellona was one of several Baltimore powder mills and produced explosives used in the defense of Baltimore. At its peak it produced one-fifth of all the U.S. powder. Bellona sold 200 barrels of gunpowder to Fort McHenry in June 1814. The explosives were likely used when the British attacked that September. (Side-bar) Homemade Powder-Gunpowder-a mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur-fueled all explosive weapons. Escalating war and new sources of saltpeter spurred domestic production. Using powder to blast openings for mines and transportation also bolstered the industry.

(Quote) “The Bellona Gunpowder Company offer for sale, gunpowder of various descriptions, and of a superior quality, in half barrels, kegs, canisters and pound paper.”-Baltimore Federal Gazette, August 16, 1814. (Inscription beside the photo in the center)
Gunpowder from Bellona likely fired the naval guns on the water battery at Fort McHenry during the British bombardment.

Erected by National Park Service-United States Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

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• War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1814.

Location. 39° 22.752′ N, 76° 38.616′ W. Marker is near Woodbrook, Maryland, in Baltimore County. Memorial can be reached from Lakeside Drive. The marker is located in Robert E. Lee Park on the bank of Lake Roland dam. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 Lakeside Drive, Baltimore MD 21210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mount Washington Mill (approx. 0.8 miles away); Mt. Washington Mill (approx. 0.8 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mount Washington Octagon (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Home of Governor Augustus W. Bradford (approx. one mile away); The Colored Methodist Protestant St. John’s Chapel of Baltimore County (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Nursery (approx. 1.1 miles away); Mt. Washington Arboretum (approx. 1.1 miles away).

Fire Power Marker-Lake Roland in the background at the dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014

2. Fire Power Marker-Lake Roland in the background at the dam

Lake Roland Dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014

3. Lake Roland Dam

Sign at the entrance to the park image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014

4. Sign at the entrance to the park

The Water Battery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 16, 2018

5. The Water Battery

Painting by Richard Schlecht, 2005.

“Gunpowder from Bellona likely fired the naval guns on the water battery at Fort McHenry during the British bombardment.” – Baltimore Federal Gazette, August 16, 1814. Close-up of image on marker

Fire Power Marker<br>and the 1861 Pumphouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 16, 2018

6. Fire Power Marker
and the 1861 Pumphouse

Lake Roland<br>1861 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 16, 2018

7. Lake Roland
1861

Above the door at the historic pump house. The land that would become Robert E. Lee park, now Lake Roland Park, was the Bellona Gunpowder Manufactory until 1856 when it was sold to the City of Baltimore as a waterworks. It was named Robert E. Lee Park in 1945 at the behest of Elizabeth B. Garrett White. It was renamed Lake Roland Park in September of 2015.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,151 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on March 3, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 25, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 17, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.