Cultural Landscape Report for Fort Mchenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT AND HISTORIC SHRINE SITE HISTORY, EXISTING CONDITIONS AND ANALYSIS CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR FORT MCHENRY FORT M C H ENRY N ATIONAL M ONUMENT AND HISTORIC S HRINE Prepared by: Mark Davison, Historical Landscape Architect, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation Eliot Foulds, Historical Landscape Architect, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation August 2004 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT AND HISTORIC SHRINE The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation promotes the preservation of significant landscapes through research, planning, stewardship, and education. The Center accomplishes its mission in collaboration with a network of partners including national parks, universities, government agencies and private nonprofit organizations. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation 99 Warren Street Brookline, Massachusetts 02445 617.566.1689 www.nps.gov/frla/oclp.htm Publication Credits: Information in this report may be copied and used with the condition that credit be given to the authors, and the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. This report has been prepared for in-house use, and will not be made available for sale. Photographs and graphics may not be reproduced for re-use without the permission of the owners or repositories noted in the captions. Cover Photo: Fort McHenry and Patapsco River, looking east, by the authors, July 2003. NPS / FOMC - D62 August. 2004 ii CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...............................................................................................................................................xiii INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................................................1 PROJECT SETTING ..............................................................................................................................................................1 THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT..........................................................................................................................................1 THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT..........................................................................................................................................2 METHODOLOGY AND FORMAT...........................................................................................................................................2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................3 FINDINGS ...........................................................................................................................................................................8 SITE HISTORY................................................................................................................................................................11 PRE-HISTORY TO 1814.....................................................................................................................................................11 1815 TO 1865 ..................................................................................................................................................................29 1866 TO 1912 ..................................................................................................................................................................49 1913 TO 1933...................................................................................................................................................................81 1934 TO PRESENT...........................................................................................................................................................123 EXISTING CONDITIONS............................................................................................................................................167 METHODOLOGY AND FORMAT.......................................................................................................................................167 OVERVIEW OF EXISTING CONDITIONS ...........................................................................................................................168 LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS.....................................................................................................................................170 ANALYSIS OF SIGNIFICANCE AND INTEGRITY................................................................................................191 REVIEW OF EXISTING NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS .....................................................................................................191 ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE INTEGRITY ...........................................................................................................................195 EVALUATION OF LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES........................................................199 SITE-WIDE LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES..........................................................................................199 HISTORIC CORE-LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES..................................................................................209 WEST EXPANSION AREA-LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES ....................................................................225 SOURCES .......................................................................................................................................................................251 NOTES ............................................................................................................................................................................255 iii CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT AND HISTORIC SHRINE iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1. 1782 portion of plan by L. A. Berthier entitled “Port et Rade de Baltimore". Copy from Fort McHenry Library, Special Collections. Original map from Princeton University Library, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Figure 1.2. June 1840 plan by Butler entitled “Plat of Lots of Land Belonging to the General Government on which Fort McHenry is Erected." National Archives II, College Park, MD, RG 77. Figure 1.3. Detail of 1792 plan by A. P. Folie, entitled “Plan of the Town of Baltimore and its Environs,” Peale Museum, Baltimore. Figure 1.4. Detail of 1782 L. A. Berthier plan entitled “Port et Rade de Baltimore," Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Figure 1.5. Diagram depicting 1793 Fort Whetstone landscape. Graphic prepared by the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP). Figure 1.6. 1803 anonymous plan entitled “Fort McHenry,” which depicts the water batteries in a different configuration than 1782, as well as the Star Fort. National Archives II, College Park, MD. Record Group 77. Figure 1.7. “The Bombardment of Fort McHenry, September 13-14, 1814,” by Alfred Jacob Miller (1784-1834). Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD. Figure 1.8. Graphic showing the movements of American and British land and naval forces during the Battle of Baltimore, 12-14 September 1814. National Park Service, Harper’s Ferry Center, 1985. Figure 1.9. “The Flag is Full of Stars,” by Dale Gallon. Dale Gallon Historical Art, Gettysburg, PA. Figure 1.10. View of Fort McHenry and Whetstone Point from Baltimore’s Hampstead Hill, c. 1810. New York Historical Society. - - - Figure 2.1. Detail of 1819 plan by Captain William Tell Poussin entitled “Reconnoitering of Chesapeake Bay, State of Maryland; Plan and Profiles of Fort McHenry." National Archives II, College Park, MD. Record Group 77. Figure 2.2. Detail of 1819 plan by Captain William Tell Poussin entitled “Reconnoitering of Chesapeake Bay, State of Maryland; Plan and Profiles of Fort McHenry,” showing profile of seawall and mudflats at low and high tide marks. National Archives II, College Park MD. Record Group 77. Figure 2.3. Detail of 1819 plan by Captain William Tell Poussin entitled “Reconnoitering of Chesapeake Bay, State of Maryland; Plan and Profiles of Fort McHenry,” showing configuration of Star Fort. National Archives II, College Park, MD. Record Group 77.. Figure 2.4. Detail of 1840 plan by Capt. Fred A. Smith entitled “[Plan of] Fort McHenry, Baltimore, from dimensions furnished by Capt. Henry A. Thompson,” National Archives II, College Park MD. Record Group 77. Figure 2.5. Portion of 1858 plan by Lieutenant Samuel Brick entitled “Plan and Sections of Drill Ground at Fort McHenry,” National Archives II, College Park MD. Record Group 77. Figure 2.6. Diagram depicting the 1840 Fort McHenry landscape. Graphic prepared by the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP). Figure 2.7. “Fort McHenry, Baltimore.” From 22 December 1855 edition of Ballou’s Pictorial. Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD. Cator Print Collection No.28. Figure 2.8. Engraving from Ballou’s Pictorial c. 1861. Fort McHenry Library Special Collection. Figure 2.9. “[Plan of] Fort McHenry, Md., Showing positions of the guns, etc.” National Archives II, College Park MD. Record Group 77. Figure 2.10. “Fort McHenry, Baltimore, MD.” 1861 color lithograph