Arming Annapolis in the Late Colonial Period...

While many are familiar with the restored Magazine and reconstructed Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia, both with their large collection of arms, most people are quite unaware of how Maryland dealt with the storage of arms and ammunition during the same period of history. Maryland, like Virginia in Williamsburg, provided for a powder magazine for the storage of ammunition and powder in Annapolis. But unlike Virginia, the house of the Maryland Governor was a privately owned building and as such was not used for the storage of arms, as was the case of the Palace in Williamsburg. Instead, Annapolis had a second public magazine, which also served as the Council Chamber, for the storage of arms as well as small quantities of powder and ammunition. Both buildings were built using funds from the revenue of 3 pence per hogshead of tobacco exported from Maryland which was appropriated for the purchase of arms and ammunition.

 

Magazine/Council House

From Drawings of the State House by Charles Willson Peale, 1787. MSA SC 1051

Magazine/Council House
On August 8, 1716, the Upper House of the General Assembly proposed that a "handsome house be built for the lodgeing and secureing the publick Magazine of Arms in this City and also that part of the amunition consisting of Ball lead matche & flints and all other matterialls of that nature Except powder may be there secured and that the said house may be so contrived that it may likewise Serve for a Councill roome and to receive the Countrey and strangers which may resort to his Exnoy the Governour on any publick occasions." Funds for this construction would come from the revenue of 3 pence per hogshead of tobacco exported from Maryland which was appropriated for the purchase of arms and ammunition.

On August 9, 1716, the General Assembly agreed to build a magazine, not to exceed the cost of £500 sterling. The Lower House recommended it be built "to North of the Stadt house and the front to Range with the said House." The Upper House however felt this "being uneven ground & his Exncy the Governour in soe ill State of health that he cannot now view & approve the Situation, Wee desire you will concurr with us that that matter be also left to his Exncys discretion to direct the placeing of it convenient to the Court house," to which the Lower House agreed. The original contract for the work was to cost £550 sterling. In June 1717 an additional £50 sterling was authorized for the construction.

By May 1718, Thomas Cooke who was building the magazine felt that it would require an additional £200 sterling to complete the work and petitioned the General Assembly for these additional funds. On May 6th, the Committee of Aggrievances, viewed the magazine and found that the room was three feet longer than specified in the contract and the back of the building was eleven inches longer than specified in the contract. The also found that the frontispiece was more than was agreed upon. However the work in general was found to be well done.

The Lower House, upon viewing the work done on the magazine to that point, found that Thomas Cooke had expended much more than money than was to be paid him under the terms of the original contract and recommended that an additional  £100 sterling be paid to Cooke for the completion of the magazine.

By May 1719, the new building was is use by the Governor's Council. This building was recalled in the early 19th century as "a large hall, the walls covered with arms above the seats which were all around the room. A seat opposite the door for the Governor and his lady over which hung a full length portrait of the Proprietor, Lord Baltimore, in his flowing robes. Being used for a ballroom as well as an armory, a wooden gilt chandelier depended from the vaulted roof and the lights interspersed among the arms, gave it on ball nights a very splendid appearance. . ."

In 1723, John Smith, joiner of Annapolis, was directed to fix cases in the Conference Chamber for the preservation of the Provincial Library. Strong shelves and partitions at convenient distances were to be installed, with six large sash doors. The cases were to begin at the back of the door of the chamber and continue to the window on the west side of the room, and from that window to the closet door on the same side of the room. They were to be the full height of the room and fifteen to sixteen inches wide from the wainscoat. They were also to be filled with panels of good wainscoat as high as the surbase of the room, with all above that to be well sashed with glass. Each door was to have three good hinges, two plate bolts, with one good lock and key for each door. This work was to be completed by the following Christmas for the sum of £17/10 current money.

A handsome table was ordered to be made in 1728 for the Council Room and window shutters be made for all the cellar windows under the council room and to order from England a handsome carpet for the said table, one large elbow chair and twelve fashionable, strong Russia leather chairs with high backs, a handsome wooden lacquered "branch for 12 candles" and 12 single brass sconces for the said room.

In 1737 the "Lustre" was mended in the council room.

The council room door and shutters were repaired by Richard Wigges in 1741. Then in 1742 the door to the Magazine was replace by Richard Tootell.

In 1751 the Committee appointed by the Lower House of Assembly to make a Survey of the Public Buildings reported that "the covering of the Council Chamber leaks in several places (particularly the north gutter), and rusts the arms; which we think, by shifting some few shingles carefully, may be made tight. Some middle bolts to the windows are wanting, and the windows and window-frames themselves are much out of repair; and part of the wainscoting of the said Council Chamber is rotten, and shrunk from the ceiling; likewise the door cases are decayed.

Patrick Creagh was paid in 1756 for 10 squares of glass "stopt" in the Council House window 13 3/4" x 11", 2 hooks, 2 bolts for the windows, 10 staples for the windows 2/6 to 4 hooks 4^s, straightening Some Bolts, 4 hooks and staples, painting the doors & shutters "dormants" &c, 1 large square of glass "stopt" in the front window, "stopping" in 3 Sash Squares in the "dormant" windows. That same year, John Thompson was paid for 12 days work of three hands on the Council House in sundry other repairs, 200 foot of plank and scatling, 900 nails, brick layers work and lime.

In 1762 the Magazine was again in need of repair. The outside corner of the Conference chamber was in need of repair and the paved channel which conveyed water away from the Council Chamber was out of repair. The roofs of the rooms over the conference and council chambers were in want of repairing and barge-boards, and the windows required glazing. The Conference Chamber wanted glazing and plastering, and one of the closets of the said chamber wanted window shutters. The Council Chamber wanted several new planks in the floor, and the casing of the pillars of the outward doors wanted repairing.

Before the opening of the 1767 session of the General Assembly opened, a portrait of Frederick, Lord Baltimore, and his coat of arms, which he had recently sent to be hung in the Council Chamber, were received and acknowledged by Governor Horatio Sharpe.

The last inspection report before the War for American Independence showed the following in the Magazine in 1768.

In the council chamber

185 muskets, with slings, which appear to be in good order (part of 500 muskets imported into store between November 1757 and  April 1758)

23 halberds (part of 30 halberds in store since at least 1748, 1 broken in 1756)
19 pikes (in store since at least 1748)

30 trumpets (20 trumpets of 30 delivered into store from John Thompson on board the Baltimore in February 1742 and 10 trumpets of 12 ordered in 1749 from the executors of Joseph Adams, late merchant in London and delivered into store from Silvanus Grove on board the Neptune between May 1750 and June 1751)
70 broad swords (in store since at least 1757)
15 daggers (part of a box of 18 daggers delivered into store between August 1745 and June 1749)
78 buff slings (part of 67 buff belts in store since at least 1757)
50 sword blades (in store since at least 1748)

Above the conference chamber

85 black hilted swords (part of 130 black hilted swords in store since at least 1758)

42 bright hilted swords (in store since at least 1762)

15 cutlasses (part of 16 cutlasses in store since at least 1742)

35 pistols (part of 87 pistols in store since at least 1758)
2 new drums (in store since at least 1762)

1 old drum, a little damaged (in store since at least 1762)

200. new bayonets, with cartouch boxes, and bullet moulds (in store since at least 1762)

90 buff belts (part of 87 buff belts in store since at least 1762)

29 old bayonets (in store since at least 1762)
86 carbines and short muskets (part of 105 arms issued to Captain Dagworth in June 1754 and returned to magazine from Col. Dagworthy between April 1758 and April 1762, these had been issued as part of 105 new arms)

57 old muskets, and carbines (part of 68 old muskets and carbines in store since at least 1763)

104 ditto, mostly without locks, and not worth repairing (in store since at least 1762)

9 pistols, the locks broke (in store since at least 1762)

4 pair holsters (in store since at least 1762)

7 broken drums (part of 6 broken drums in store since at least 1762)

3 chests matches (part of 13 chests of match in store since at least 1736)

30 blue cases for muskets (in store since at least 1762)

10 listed cases for carbines (in store since at least 1763)

5 half pikes (perhaps the new espontoons mentioned in 1762; in store since at least 1763)
15 pair drum sticks (in store since at least 1762)

11 new carbine slings (in store since at least 1762)

7 new cartouch boxes (in store since at least 1762)
9 belts for muskets (in store since at least 1762)

1/4 cwt musket ball and great shot (in store since at least 1763)

15 muskets in good order, being removed from the council chamber (most likely removed to accommodate the portrait of Frederick, Lord Baltimore, and his coat of arms) (part of 500 muskets imported into store between November 1757 and  April 1758)

Under the conference chamber

382 muskets, very rusty, and many of the locks want repairing (delivered into store from Fort Frederick and Fort Cumberland between April 1762 and October 1763)
60 muskets mostly without locks (delivered into store from Fort Frederick and Fort Cumberland between April 1762 and October 1763)

35 musket barrels (delivered into store from Fort Frederick and Fort Cumberland between April 1762 and October 1763)

16 kegs musket ball, each 1/2 cwt (part of 80 kegs of musket balls delivered into store between March 1756 and November 1757)

3 powder barrels, filled with powder (2 barrels delivered to magazine by Thomas Richardson and Company in lieu of two barrels delivered to them in October 1762, one barrel unknown origin)

200 bayonets (returned to magazine from Fort Frederick and Cumberland between April 1762 and October 1763)
1500 gun flints (part of a box of 3500 gun flints delivered into store between March 1756 and November 1757)

By 1771 the records of the Land Office were deposited in the easternmost end of the Council Chamber, the records of the Secretary's Office in the westernmost end of the Council Chamber. These offices were separated by a secure partition. The records of the Commissary's Office were also deposited in the Conference Chamber where they all appeared safe, and properly arranged on shelves fitted up for that purpose.

Powder Magazine
In 1742 it was decided to build a brick powder magazine, to replace the earlier magazine, twenty feet long and sixteen feet wide in the clear and twelve foot pitch from the foundation. It was to be set as near the old powder house as possible. A double lock and large hinges were installed in the powder house door, which was made by John Thompson.

On March 7, 1742, Patrick Creagh and Bridget Donaldson sold the newly erected magazine for the arms and ammunition for the use of the Province of Maryland and sixty square feet of ground about the building, with liberty of ingress, egress and regress through the ground to the magazine, to Charles Hammond and Levin Gale their heirs and assigns in trust forever to the public use of the Province of Maryland for £95 sterling. This magazine was located on part of 3½ acres along the north side of North East Street (now Maryland Avenue) bordering on the Severn River in Annapolis which Creagh purchased, in addition to other land, on March 7, 1742 from Bridget Donaldson, Gentlewoman of Annapolis, for £120 sterling.[1]

In March 1743, Patrick Creagh was paid for building a brick [powder] magazine and 60 square feet of ground on which it lay.

In 1744 the armorer, Richard Tootell was ordered to get a plank floor laid in the powder house. Mordecai Hammond supplied 400 feet of 1 1/4 plank for this floor which was installed by John Thompson.

In 1768, the powder house was described as being in a ruinous condition, and that unless it was shortly repaired it would fall down.

The last inspection report before the War for American Independence showed the following in the Powder House in 1768.

12 barrels gun powder, each 100.^lb (part of 29 barrels fine glazed powder marked FLB delivered into store between March 1756 and November 1757)

65 1/2 barrels gun powder, each 50.^lb (part of 72 1/2 barrels ordered and shipped in a vessel of Mr Hanbury and delivered into store between October 1763 and July 1764)

15 small casks bar lead (in store since at least 1765)

80 kegs musket ball, each 1/2 cwt (part of 79 kegs of musket balls in store since at least 1758)

1000 gun flints (part of a box of 3500 gun flints delivered into store between March 1756 and November 1757)

Inspection Point Battery
As early as 1728 there were 10 cannon lying upon the point near where Patrick Creagh's warehouse would be used as the tobacco inspection house beginning in 1747. The guns were found to be very much out of repair. John Smith was contracted to build new carriages as well as building timber platforms upon which the guns would rest. In 1749, 15 four pound cannon, double fortified of the new model, without carriages were ordered from the executors of Joseph Adams, late merchant in London. In 1751 the "new" cannon were lying upon the point near Patrick Creagh's warehouse which was serving as the tobacco inspection house.  In 1752 in addition to these "new" cannon, there were the 10 old cannon no longer fit for use. By 1756 the new cannon had been "fixed on wooden frame," though wanting aprons. By 1757, this battery was referred to as the half moon battery. The 15 "new" cannon were still in need of aprons and tampions.[2] They also needed to be "paid well" and painted. The cannon at the battery in earlier reports were not mentioned in 1757 and no longer present by 1758. By 1763, two "cramps" were missing from the cannon. By 1765 the "wooden frame" was much decayed and shattered and many of the cannon were without "cramps" which rendered them unfit for service and "ever dangerous to fire." By 1768, the cannon were "upon a straight frame, and still without tampions, clamps or aprons" though they appeared to be in good order and better fixed" than in earlier inspections.

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[1] Anne Arundel County Court (Land Records) RB1, 1740-1744, MSA CE 76-18, folio 274-275; Provincial Court (Land Records) EI3, 1737-1744, MSA SM 22-17, folio 380-382; Provincial Court (Land Records) DD5, 1770-1774, MSA SM 22-29, 30 folio 25-26.

[2] Aprons are a piece of lead laid over the vent of cannon to keep the priming dry. Tampions are a plug placed in a cannon's muzzle when the cannon is not in use to keep out moisture and dust.

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