East Pikeland Site Named To National Register Of Historic Places

EAST PIKELAND, PA -- East Pikeland Township has received official notification that the Revolutionary War era Continental Powder Works has been approved for addition to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Continental Powder Works site along the French Creek is eligible for the National Register in the area of Military History due to its association with the American Revolution and the related activities on the property as a gunpowder and gun manufacturer during the Revolutionary War, specifically from 1776 to 1777.

The site was selected in April 1776 by the Committee of Safety under the direction of the Continental Congress for the erection of the state’s only government-built gunpowder mill. A gun factory was added to the site in December 1776.

At its peak, the site produced approximately two tons of gunpowder each week, and thousands of gunlocks. Threatened by the British Army in September 1777, the majority of the inventory and supplies were removed from the site under orders from George Washington, just days before British and Hessian forces destroyed the buildings and any remaining military inventory.

In 2012, East Pikeland Township obtained a grant to fund an archaeological survey on township-owned land in order to locate possible powder works ruins. The project was a success with the walls of two structures uncovered by the archaeological team.

The public can view more information on the Continental Powder Works by walking along the Township’s French Creek Trail, near Rapps Dam Road, where informative signage has been posted.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.