The Hessian Powder Magazine, also known as the Hessian Guardhouse Museum, is an historic

guardhouse A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house Security guard, personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have histori ...

and

gunpowder magazine A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications re ...

which is located on the grounds of the

Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle post office address and with a portion in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Carlis ...

History and architectural features

Built in 1777, the Hessian Powder Magazine is a stone walled structure, which is lined with interior brick. It measures seventy feet by thirty-two feet with walls that are four-and-one-half-feet thick. It also has a vaulted stone roof, which is covered by timbers and tin, creating a gable form. ''Note:'' This includes Tradition says that Hessian prisoners of war, who were captured during the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, crossing of the ...

were sent to Carlisle, and used to build this guard house, which was originally a magazine. It may have first been used as a guardhouse during the 1870s, and also as part of the

Carlisle Indian Industrial School The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from its founding in 1879 to 1918. It was based in the histo ...

(1879–1918). ''Note:'' This includes Afterwards, it was used as a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

and medical supply storehouse,

filmstrip The filmstrip is a form of still image instructional Media (communication), media, once widely used by educators in primary and secondary schools (K–12) and for corporate presentations (e.g., sales training and new product introductions). ...

laboratory, message center, and U.S. post office. ''Note:'' This includes

Importance

It was designated a museum in 1948. ''Note:'' This includes It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1974.

References

External links

History and information
- US Army Heritage and Education Center {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Museums in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Government buildings completed in 1777 Buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Military and war museums in Pennsylvania American Revolutionary War museums in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Gunpowder magazines Carlisle Indian Industrial School