MDFREDER-L Archives

From: "Gil House" <>
Subject: [MDFR] Magazine?? & Cannon Hill (long again)
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001 11:58:46 -0400

>From my researching Cannon Hill I came across the term Magazine in reference
to some hangings. There was a listing about some of the hangings in
Frederick County and it listed the places, the Magazine, Barracks Hill, and
the jail. My assumption is that the Magazine is not at the Barracks Grounds
(Hessian Barracks, MD State School for the Deaf) or the writer would have
listed as both being the same. The only location reference that I have found
so far is in an article by Calvin Schildknecht title "Colonial prisoners"
written as " ... was built near town on the road toward Harpers Ferry. ...
Benjamin Johnson, Keeper of the Magazine at Frederick." So where was the
Magazine???

>From a question "Where is Cannon Hill" that was posed on this list May 31.
And then part of my reply on June 1 "Oh the multiple stories and tales
that can be weaved from the real facts!! (which I don't know!)" . When I
wrote that I did realize how true it was; I didn't know how many different
stories that are associated with this fact.

Cannon Hill is the area around the intersection of South Street and Carroll
Street. The earliest reference that I've found is in the Jacob Engelbrecht
Diary April 2, 1820. Carroll Street from All Saints Street to East South
Street did not exist at the time. Jacob references Cannon Hill many times
with a notation as the Birely lots. George K. Birely owned a track of land
which began about 1/2 block east of Market Street from South Street to at
least East All Saints Street and eastwardly past the present day Carroll
Street. I have not researched the land records yet.

Yes there was a cannon that exploded but it was at the Barracks ground
(Hessian Barracks). It happen on November 25, 1844 and one person was
killed, Upton Duvall. He is listed in Jacob Engelbrecht Death Ledger, page
49. Jacob does not have any entries in his diary published by William
Quynn. The reason is that there are no entries published after May 18, 1844
until February 18, 1846. unless there are missing entries. There is an
article in the Frederick Examiner which detailed the explosion and the gory
details.

The cannon that was at the corner of 4th and Bentz Street is now at the
Hessian Barracks on the campus of the Maryland State School for the Deaf.
Most likely this is the cannon that exploded. I have been told that it is
of the type and description of a Revolutionary War cannon. How it got to
4th street is another unanswered question.

Many articles have been found and a wide range of information is either
wrong or quite questionable. I have even found one that was only 52 years
after the cannon explosion and it had the wrong date! I have found some
good primary references and expect to find a few more.

This thread:

• [MDFR] Magazine?? & Cannon Hill (long again) by "Gil House" <>