Tours: Sunday, May 18th from 12:30 to 2:30
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
About the Powder House:
Although this is a small (60 feet around), but beautiful round brick building it holds deep historic significance on a broad national level, it is an integral part of the system of early defense and development of our young country when militia men were required in every town and city as well as powder houses to store munitions.
Research has determined that gunpowder was shipped to Newburyport from a small newly developing company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. in Wilmington Delaware which started production in 1804. Local ship captain and privateer in the War of 1812 , Captain John Wills Jr., although captured by the British, became a merchant after the war and shipped in gunpowder on coastal schooners. Gunpowder served many purposes in a young and growing country well beyond defense - road and canal building, clearing land, quarrying, bridges as well as hunting for food.
It took over nine years to bring this successful project to fruition for future generations. It has a wonderful and exciting history story to tell.
One of the surprises we found during research was how important this structure was to the local maritime economy in Newburyport. We have dozens of shipping records which show the coastal schooner names, costs and who purchased the gunpowder. They even show the Powder House Keepers fees for transporting the powder from the wharf to the Powder House.
Come and get a tour and ask all the questions you want!!
To register for our other Preservation Week events, visit our website
https://nbptpreservationtrust.org/preservation-week/#pw2025
