1813

Almost two hundred years ago, a region that I am familiar with was anxious. The basis of the anxiety was the economy, specifically export restrictions on American products that were hurting the economy. There were only skirmishes at first as Napoleon occupied the King’s army’s time. But in 1813, it looked like Napoleon would probably lose and the war that America had declared would take a turn for the worse.

Despite the fact that this region was operating in open defiance of the United States government, by trading with Great Britain, people were still worried. The men must have gathered, most likely at the place I had a beer last night, and decided to build something. I walked to that thing yesterday. It is remote, even two hundred years later. You start out along a path.


Then the path bends to the right.


Then you come upon a clearing.


Then you come upon the thing. Note the drainage.


There is a door.

And you can open it.


This thing is a shelter, that the locals built to hide gunpowder from the British. Fortunately, they did not need to use it.