Carpenter Shop

In 1866 this building was listed on maps as Fort Abercrombie's carpenter shop. In 1868, Assistant Surgeon W. H. Gardner described it as having rooms for a blacksmith, carpenter, painter, and saddler, and by 1871 maps show it being used as a blacksmith and carpenter shop. Frontier forts were often built quickly from local building materials, and where timber was available, log buildings were commonly the first structures on a fort. Enlisted soldiers felled trees and sawed lumber to provide necessary winter shelter, and as a frontier fort became more established, log buildings would be replaced by wood frame or brick structures. Fort Abercrombie in 1859 was located closer to the river and had many log buildings. Blacksmiths, carpenters, brick makers, stone masons, and other building trades were required to build and maintain frontier forts like Fort Abercrombie, sometimes with the help of hired contractors, and soldiers with such skills often received extra pay.

Abercrombie, North Dakota · United States