Near Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Keeping Powder Dry and Safe
Fort Jefferson
Dry Tortugas National Park
Photographed By Vince Jackson, March 4, 2022
1. Keeping Powder Dry and Safe Marker
A fort's effectiveness in the 1800s depended in large part on its gunpowder supply. Keeping the powder dry and avoiding explosions were critical. This powder magazine's special features included wooden floors and walls to prevent sparks, and vents and raised flooring to enhance air circulation. The impressive arch above you was designed to support a thick roof of protective concrete.If this and four other magazines planned for the parade ground had been completed, they would have supplied powder to warships using the anchorage. The 32 magazines built within the walls of the fort stored powder for the fort's guns. The detached magazines would have supplemented them if necessary.
Barrels of powder should not be rolled... they should be carried in hand-barrows, or slings made of rope or leather.
Artillerist's Manual, 1st Lt. John Gibbon, US Army, 1860
(captions)
The foundations visible around you would have supported the first floor of this magazine.
Raised wooden floor
Wood-covered walls
Vault
Concrete
Entrance barrier (or shot porch)
Erected by
Photographed By Vince Jackson, March 4, 2022
2. Keeping Powder Dry and Safe Marker
Interior of the remote magazine.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Parks & Recreational Areas • War, US Civil.
Location. 24° 37.75′ N, 82° 52.333′ W. Marker is near Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Red-Hot Cannonballs (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Water in "Dry" Tortugas (about 500 feet away); The Dry Tortugas, Home to a Myriad of Life (about 500 feet away); Gunrooms (about 500 feet away); In Memory of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd (about 600 feet away); Navy Days at Fort Jefferson (about 600 feet away); 15-Inch Rodman (about 600 feet away); Alfred Goldsboro Mayor (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key West.
Also see . . . Dry Tortugas National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on March 14, 2022.)
Photographed By Vince Jackson, March 4, 2022
3. Keeping Powder Dry and Safe Marker
Exterior of the remote powder magazine.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2022, by Vince Jackson of Toano, Virginia. This page has been viewed 77 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 11, 2022, by Vince Jackson of Toano, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
