Jefferson Ordnance Magazine

Jefferson Ordnance Magazine
Nearest city Jefferson, Texas
Coordinates 32°45′29″N 94°20′18″W / 32.75806°N 94.33833°W / 32.75806; -94.33833Coordinates: 32°45′29″N 94°20′18″W / 32.75806°N 94.33833°W / 32.75806; -94.33833
Built ca. 1863
Architectural style Military powder magazine
NRHP Reference # 95000102[1]
RTHL # 16909
Significant dates
Added to NRHP February 17, 1995
Designated RTHL 2011

The Jefferson Ordnance Magazine in Jefferson, Texas, United States, is located 0.3 miles northeast of the US-59B crossing of Big Cypress Bayou. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[1]

It is located across the Big Cypress Bayou waterway from Jefferson and Cypress Bayou Railway. It is claimed by the railway operators and tour guides to be the only remaining Confederate powder magazine from the 1860s. That claim, appearing at this website advertising a train tour, appears to be false, as it does not take into account powder magazines that are included in surviving confederate forts. A specific counter-example to the claim is the Confederate Powderworks, in Georgia, whose powder magazines disprove the claim. A narrower claim, that it is the only surviving Confederate powder house in Texas and one of few in the U.S., is stated by the Historic Jefferson Foundation.[2] An even more narrow claim, that it is "the most intact example in East Texas of a Civil War era brick ordnance magazine directly associated with the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederate States of America," appears in a planning document prepared by the Texas Historical Commission.[3]

The magazine was built in late 1863 or early 1864. "Ninety percent of the building is original and remains unaltered except for some weathering, aging brick and some sympathetic repairs." However, two smaller associated buildings have been dismantled, apparently for their bricks.[3]

The Ordnance Magazine and the property it sits on is owned by the Historic Jefferson Foundation. You can find out more about the magazine by visiting the HJF web site http://historicjeffersonfoundation.com This property is landlocked and the road to the magazine is on private property, today it can only be viewed by riding the Jefferson and Cypress Bayou Railway,[4] or taking the Turning Basin Riverboat Tour, both of which are attractions in Jefferson, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Historic Jefferson Foundation: Landmarks". Historic Jefferson Foundation. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  3. 1 2 "Jefferson Historic Preservation Action Plan" (PDF). see p.18-19. Texas Historical Commission. 2005.
  4. ↑ "Historic Jefferson Railway - About". Historic Jefferson Railway. Retrieved 2009-03-08.

External links

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