What Is Going to Happen to Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Stones?

From the August 16, 2022, Smithsonian Magazine "Is this the end of D.C.'s most-beloved hidden landmark?" by Ellen Wexler.

In the hills of D.C.'s Rock Creek Park, hundreds of stones are piled two stories high and have sat there for quite awhile with very few folks knowing about them.  And, they are not just regular stones.  They were once part of one of the most famous structures in the United States.

What makes these stones remarkable is that they were once a part of the United States Capitol, located about eight miles south of the park.

But soon, these stones' time at the park are going to come to an end.  Officials from the National Park Service have ordered them removed for safety, realignment and preservation purposes.

The stones date back to the early 1800s when thye Capitol underwent extensive restoration after Britrish troops set fire to the building during the War of 1812, causing devastating damage.  More than a century later, in the 1950s,  renovations led to the stones' replacement.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Madison, Iowa, Battlefield-- Part 2

In 2017, the Iowa Historical  Preservation Board approved the NLCHS' application for the War of 1812 Battlefield Park, which was then sent to the National Register of Historical Places through the National Park Service.

The designation that followed opened the door for more grant opportunities.

A monument marking the battlefield where 23 soldiers are buried was installed in 2019.  The granite monument includes a history of the military post on one side and the soldiers' names on another side.

A flag pole was also installed nearby and benches, sponsored with donations from families and individuals, were installed last year.

Next on the lkist of improvements will be walkways and landscaping.  They figure that will cost between $10,000 and $20,000.

Donations can be sent to the North Lee County Historical Society.

--Brock-Perry

Standing Tall on Lake Erie-- Part 1: Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

From the Summer Hallowed Ground Magazine, American Battlefield Trust.

Just five miles south of the Canadian border, on an isthmus near downtown Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, stands a 352-foot-tall monument towering over the town and lake.  Free-standing, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is the world's tallest Doric column -- a plain, thick column that is a common sight at federal buildings throughout D.C..

The monument stands 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty when measuring  the New York Harbor landmark from the ground to the tip of Liberty's torch.

It is indeed a striking sight, usually simply referred to as Perry's Monument.  It is also the only international peace memorial overseen by the National Park Service.

However, it is so much more than these pieces of trivia.

--Brock-Perry

Wellsburg Has Another Patrick Gass Marker

This is located along the Ohio River in downtown Wellsburg, West Virginia.

And, I had never heard of this person before.

Inscription:

"Sergeant on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, he published the first  account of the exploration in 1807.

Veteran of the War of 1812, he fought at the battle of Lundy's Lane and at Fort Erie.

Citizen of Wellsburg  for more than a half century, he married and raised a family  on Grog Run and Pierce's Run.  He is now buried in  Brooke County Cemetery.

The bust of Patrick Gass as a young man on the Lewis & Clark Expedition was sculpted by Agnes Vincen Talbot of Boise, Idaho and presented to the people of Wellsburg by members of the Lewis & Clark Trail heritage Foundation, assisted by the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program .

August 2, 2002."

--Brock-Perry

Detroit's Fort Wayne-- Part 8: Today

The remainder of Fort Wayne was turned over piecemeal to the City of Detroit. with the last bit turned over in 1976.

From 1949 to 2006, the Fort Wayne Military Museum was operated by  the Detroit Historical Museum.  Since early 2006, the fort has been operated by the Detroit Recreation Department,  assisted by the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, the Friends of Fort Wayne and the Detroit Historical Society.

The fort hosts historic reenactments (most often Civil War), spring and fall flea markets, concerts, youth soccer league matches as well as Hispanic and Boy Scout events and is open for some civic events.

Also on the grounds is the remaining Indian burial ground and the Tuskegee Airman national Museum (kind of strange that it would not be in Tuskegee, Alabama).

Spurred in part by the construction of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge nearby, Fort Wayne  has been studied for possible inclusion in the national park system.  The National Park Service has previously  assisted in identifying ways to preserve the fort and draw visitors.  Among the possibilities is inclusion in the existing River Raisin National Battlefield Park in nearby Monroe, Michigan.

--Brock-Perry

Horse Island Light

Earlier this month I wrote about Horse Island by Sackets Harbor, New York, and then wrote about the First Battle of Sackets Harbor.

From Wikipedia.

In July 2017, the 24-acre Horse Island was acquired by the Civil War Trust, which has enlarged its efforts to include War of 1812 and American Revolution site preservation.  This was the first grant in the United States made for a War of 1812 site under the National Park Service battlefield grants program.

During the War of 1812, the British used the island as a staging area and the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor took place here.  (I guess I'll have to write about this battle next.)

Because of its location by Sackets Harbor, on March 3, 1831, Congress authorized $4,000 for a lighthouse on Horse Island.  A new one was built in 1870.

--Brock-Perry

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial-- Part 2: Mighty Tall Monument

From Wikipedia.

The memorial is 75 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and its upper deck platform is 12 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty's torch.  Only the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument and Washington Monument are taller of our national monuments.

Entering the column, the visitor goes up 37 steps and then a National Park Service ranger will operate an elevator to the viewing deck.  From there you have an incredible view.

Perry's fleet of American ships sailed out from Put-In-Bay before the big victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, a major turning point of the War of 1812.

The tower was mostly finished by 1915, but problems kept it from completion until the federal government assumed control in 1919 and provided the additional funds to finish it.

--Brock-Perry

History Trail at Sackets Harbor Dedicated

From the June 4, 2016, Watertown (NY) Daily Times "History Trail at Sackets Harbor to be dedicated."

The Sackets Harbor Battlefield Historic Site's "History Trail" was dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 4.

Sackets Harbor was selected last June to become a National Recreation Trail.  The ceremony at the site's pavilion off Hill Street coincides with National Trails Day.

Sackets Harbor is recognized by the National Park Service as one of the top War of 1812 sites in the nation.  There are ten panels along the trail telling the place's history.

Persons walking the trail will see the 1860s Navy Yard structures, the 1913 War of 1812 Centennial 100-maple tree grove, the 1930s CCC decorative stone wall on the cliff, expansive mowed lawns, thickets of trees abounding with bird life and sweeping views of the Black River Bay.

--Brock-Perry

Replica Longboat Ready for Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial

From the June 15, 2013, Toledo (Ohio) Blade "Replica longboat ready for battle, 200 years later" by Vanessa McCray.

Sanduskey, Ohio:  A replica of a pulling boat/longboat which had a vital role in the Battle of Lake Erie was christened today.  Commodore Oloiver Hazard Perry boarded one like this one to transfer his command from his battered flagship to the releatively unscathed USS Niagara during the battle.

It will be on display and participate in the bicentennial re-enactment of the battle when a fleet of tall ships visits over this Labor Day weekend.

The Perry Group commissioned its construction because of the bicentennial of the War of 1812.  This summer it can be seen at the National Park service center at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, (South Bass Island in Lake Erie, where Perry's fleet sorties out to meet the British fleet)  During the winter months it can be seen at the Maritime Museum in Sanduskey.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry