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.
Fire Power. Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. 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.
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
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.
2. Fire Power Marker-Lake Roland in the background at the dam
Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014
3. Lake Roland Dam
Photographed By Don Morfe, October 23, 2014
4. Sign at the entrance to the park
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
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 16, 2018
6. Fire Power Marker and the 1861 Pumphouse
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 1,152 times since then and 23 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.