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Fort Atkinson

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1840–1842
  • Fort Atkinson (David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim)

Fort Atkinson was built using local limestone. The original group of buildings consisted of two stone and two log buildings for officers and enlisted men. Other structures included cannon bastions at the east and southeast corners, a powder magazine, the quartermaster's storehouse, a store, and the guardhouse. The fort was abandoned by the military in 1849 and the land was sold in 1855; the state acquired the site in 1921. In 1940–1941 excavations and restoration were begun; the stockade was rebuilt in 1958, and other portions of the fort were rebuilt four years later. As with most western military architecture, these stone buildings are simple in form, the general stylistic reference being mildly Greek Revival. The fort is open to the public with hours and days varying according to the time of year.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
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Data

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Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Fort Atkinson", [Fort Atkinson, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-NO131.

Print Source

Buildings of Iowa, David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 387-387.

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