Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Submitted herewith is an archaeological drawing showing foundations of a wall surrounding the Colonial Powder Magazine and other information obtained by excavating in its vicinity.

The Foundation of the wall, apparently, is colonial for it is very wide (26½") and the bricks are laid in English bond with shell mortar, but, as the bricks are smaller than those in the buildings, the wall was evidently built at a different time, probably later than the building. However, the geometrical relation of the wall to the building indicates that both were planned at the same time. Both are octagons, with corresponding sides, parallel. Radial lines drawn from the center of the ^{building, the}interior octagon through its corner pass through the corners of the ^{wall, the}exterior octagon. Also, the sides of the interior octagon extended pass though the corners of the exterior octagon. Further, the slope of the roof of the building produced intersects the inside of the wall at the surface of the ground.

In a very small area, about 35 feet south of the Powder Magazine (outside the enclosure formed by the surrounding wall) approximately 330 cannon balls of various sizes were found. They were turned over to Mr. Rutherfoord Goodwin.

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON POWDER MAGAZINE WALL.
July 12, 1934.

In view of the fact that the architects may need data on the Powder Magazine wall before the Research Department can finish the complete Powder Magazine "book", we are issuing this preliminary general statement on the wall.

Unfortunately there is no contemporary statement as to the specific height of the wall, as I had thought at one time existed. But Dr. Lyon G. Tyler, who was in a position to have talked to people who had seen the wall before it got in the dilapidated condition that is shown in Lossing's sketch (page 264 of Volume 2 of Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the American Revolution) makes the definite statement that it was ten feet high. More than that some fifteen or twenty years ago the Rev. Mr. Little, who now lives in Williamsburg, talked with an old woman who could remember the wall as she saw it as a child, and was assured by her that it was ten feet high.

In addition to that we know from circumstantial evidence that Dunmore's men were able to work in the yard protected by this wall at various tasks which they did not want the public to know about, which would have meant that the wall was high enough to afford a good deal of secrecy which to my mind would indicate a wall of about this same height of ten feet.

More than that, the act under which the building of this wall was authorized in 1755 was an act for the protection of the colony (it was the period of the French and Indian Wars) and the act states that as the magazine then stood "it was exposed to the designs of evil minded persons". The 2 act also specifies that the wall shall be a "high and strong brick wall". Under these circumstances it is hard to believe that anything less than a wall that could really keep people out short of the use of a ladder would have been built, which would mean a wall of about ten feet in height.

In connection with the lower wall shown in Lossing's sketch, I will observe first that Lossing was not entirely accurate in his sketches or in the relationship of things, and second that by the time Lossing saw the wall it had already been subjected to a good deal of wanton breaking down. Note a record to this process going on as early as 1805 (Calendar of State Papers, 1799-1807 , Vol. 9 page 439).

It might however be noted that this Lossing sketch does show the remnants of some sort of arched opening or gate in the wall. The door in this gate as well as the door of the magazine itself was of heavy solid wood. It might also be instructive to the architects to look at the photograph in the Research Department files of the wall and gate of the Powder Magazine at Kingston, Jamaica, which was built at about the same period, and which is about ten feet high.

It may be well also to state here for the architects' information and guidance that the research on the Powder Magazine has disclosed the existence of a separate guard house "convenient" to the magazine and also the continued maintenance of a guard there.

If an authentic and complete restoration of the Powder Magazine site is desired this would mean the building of the guard house as well as the wall which in turn would mean that the area adjacent to the Magazine would have to be excavated for traces of its site.