Existing comment:
Cistern and Well:
Fort McHenry was surrounded by water, but none of it was fit to drink. In the early years, soldiers rowed into Baltimore to fill casks with fresh well water. They also collected rainwater from the barracks' roofs in a cistern located in this corner of the star fort.
When a British attack seemed imminent in 1813, the Army began work on a more reliable water source. On the parade behind you they dug a well. The shaft descended 96 feet (29m) through layers of earth, mud, foul water, and clay until it reached pure water.
Today the cistern and well are no longer visible, but archaeological investigations in 1978 have confirmed their existence. |