Stop 7: Parade Ground and Powder Magazine

As the center of Fort Warren, the roughly six-acre open field parade ground hosted various activities. Soldiers regularly formed for troop drill, assembly, and inspection. Beyond training and official functions, calisthenics and sports such as boxing, kickball, football, and baseball happened here.

Situated on the parade ground is the 1860s main black powder storage magazine. Its isolated location and stone courtyard wall favored safety over convenient access to guns. Most of the fort’s black powder was stored in 100 pound wooden kegs. Given the chance of sparks, swords, pistols, and muskets/rifles were stored in an ordnance storeroom.