Fort Bowman, also known as Harmony Hall, is a historic home and national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from ce ...

located near Middletown,

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost count ...

. It was built in 1753, by

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-sp ...

settler George Bowman (1699–1768), father of Colonel John Bowman (1738-1784), Colonel

Abraham Bowman Colonel Abraham Bowman (October 16, 1749 – November 9, 1837) was an 18th-century American frontiersman and American Revolutionary War military officer. Bowman served as an officer and later commanded the 8th Virginia Regiment popularly known ...

(1749-1837), Major Joseph Bowman (c. 1752–1779), and Captain Isaac Bowman (1757-1826). It is a two-story, rectangular

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

building with a gable roof. The interior retains its original woodwork. It has a later kitchen wing and iron and wood

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many c ...

. Also on the property are a contributing dairy /

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.

and the Bowman graveyard, which includes the grave of Isaac Bowman. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1969.

References

External links

Historical Marker Database: Fort BowmanFort Bowman, Frontage Road, Strasburg, Shenandoah County, VA
16 photos, 7 measured drawings, and 1 photo caption page at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses completed in 1753 Houses in Shenandoah County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Shenandoah County, Virginia Pennsylvania German culture in Virginia {{ShenandoahCountyVA-NRHP-stub