Fort Brady

To enhance actual American control of the northwestern frontier against these incursions, especially in the wake of the War of 1812 against the British, the War Department decided to establish several forts along the Great Lakes.{{cite web | title = Disputes Over Water Boundaries | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/history/index.php | accessdate = April 20, 2012}} Despite several treaties with the British clearly establishing American sovereignty over Michigan Territory, British forces made occasional to frequent incursions from Canada. In 1820, Lewis Cass, governor of Michigan Territory, negotiated the cession of sixteen square miles along the Saint Mary's River (connecting Lake Superior with Lake Huron) from the Chippewa Nation.

In July 1822, Colonel Hugh Brady, with Headquarters and Companies A, B, D, I and K of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, traveled to the Sault to re-assert American authority over the region and establish a garrison there.{{cite web|url= http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3963.htm|title= Fort Brady (20CH51)|publisher= Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online|accessdate= April 20, 2012|archive-url= https://archive.today/20121224180057/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3963.htm|archive-date= December 24, 2012|url-status= dead}} By the end of the year, Brady had established a fort on a ten-acre site overlooking St. Marys River. The garrison at the fort protected exclusive American sovereignty over the northern frontier.

This original fort consisted of a rectangular stockade of cedar posts, with two blockhouses placed at opposite corners. Log buildings were constructed inside along three sides; these included barracks an officer's quarters. Stables and barns servicing the fort were located on the bank of the river, and a garden,{{cite web | title = First Fort| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/history/02-first.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} garrison field, and cemetery were all located outside the stockade. The entire site covered 26 acres.

Fort Brady map.png|Map of Old Fort Brady, c. 1870

Fort Brady c 1857.jpg|Old Fort Brady, c. 1857

Old Fort Brady Blockhouse.png|Sketch of Old Fort Brady Blockhouse

The American military presence at Fort Brady counteracted the influence of the British over the region, and their incursions ceased. The success of Colonel Hugh Brady at this mission earned him a promotion to brigadier general.{{cite web |title=The Brady Guards |publisher=Michigan Department of Military and Veteran's Affairs |url=http://www.michigan.gov/dmva/0,1607,7-126-2360_3003_3009-16972--,00.html |accessdate=April 20, 2012}} No further armed conflict against the British occurred in the region, and the importance of Fort Brady was reduced. During the 1846–48 Mexican–American War, the Army withdrew troops and the fort was manned by Michigan volunteers.{{citation |title=A report on barracks and hospitals, with descriptions of military posts |author1=John Shaw Billings |author2=United States. Surgeon-General's Office |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |year=1870 |pages=124–132 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzYAAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA124}} After the conclusion of the war, the volunteers left, and the fort was unoccupied until mid-1849, when US troops returned. The army again abandoned the fort in 1857, when, in response to potential hostilities, the troops were transferred to Fort Snelling in Minnesota.

However, realizing the locks were ripe for sabotage, the Army reoccupied Fort Brady in 1866, with the protection of state locks and canals as the center of the garrison's mission.{{cite web |title=Abandoned and Reoccupied |publisher=Lake Superior State University |url=http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/history/03-second.php |accessdate=April 20, 2012}} By this time the buildings and stockade of the original fort were badly dilapidated, and the entire fort was enlarged and rebuilt, with only two structures, the officer's quarters (changed to a hospital) and guardhouse (changed to a bakery), remaining.

In about 1870, the fort consisted of

• a two-story barracks, {{convert|120|ft}} by {{convert|24|ft}}
• kitchen
• commissary
• bakery (built in 1822 as a guard house)
• guardhouse, {{convert|24|ft|6|in}} by {{convert|22|ft|6|in}}, built in 1867
• hospital (built in 1822 as officer's quarters)
• commanding officer's quarters, {{convert|32|ft}} by {{convert|42|ft|9|in}}
• staff officer's quarters, {{convert|52|ft}} by {{convert|56|ft}}, built in 1866

In the late 1800s, the shipping canal at Sault Ste. Marie was widened, and the original site of Fort Brady was no longer deemed adequate.{{cite web|url=http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3994.htm|title=New Fort Brady|publisher=Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online|accessdate=April 20, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511130101/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3994.htm|archivedate=May 11, 2012}} General Philip Sheridan selected a more strategic site nearby, on higher ground, and in 1886 work began on constructing a new fort. The new fort, known as "New Fort Brady," was completed in 1893.

The old fort grounds were platted by Assistant Quartermaster George S. Hoyt, and in 1894 sections were auctioned off.{{cite web |title=Moving Up The Hill |publisher=Lake Superior State University |url=http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/history/04-third.php |accessdate=April 20, 2012}} In 1909–1910 a post office was built on the site. There is now no visible trace remaining of the original fort. However, archaeologists have found evidence of three walls in the area, and a small re-creation of the stockade wall marks the original location of the fort. In 1970 the site of Old Fort Brady was declared surplus by the US government.

File:Fort Brady Barracks c 1908.jpg

The original site of New Fort Brady consisted on 64 buildings sited on 73 acres. Fourteen of these buildings still exist.{{cite web | title = 1940s to Present| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/history/05-fourth.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} They are:

• Officers Row: The officer's row houses were constructed in the 1890s or early 1900s as housing for the garrison's officers, including the commanding officer.{{cite web | title = Row Houses | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/06-rowhouses.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}} The commandant's quarters is now the residence of the president of Lake Superior State University. Other officer's row houses include the student residences now known as Ontario Hall, Huron Hall, Chippewa Hall, and Laker Hall; as well as The Native American Center (Eskoonwid Endaad) and Hillside House, which houses the Admissions Office.{{cite web | title = Guided Tour: Officers Row - Row Houses | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/guidedtour/07-rowhouses.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}}
• Guardhouse: The guardhouse was built in the 1890s as a guardhouse and stockade.{{cite web | title = Stockade | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/08-stockade.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}} It is now known as East Hall, and is occupied by the Music Department.
• Infantry Barracks: The infantry barracks were constructed in 1903 to house infantry soldiers.{{cite web | title = South Hall | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/04-south.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} The barracks were originally two identical buildings; the second was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. The remaining barracks building is now known as Considine Hall, and houses the College of Business and Economics.
• Post Headquarters: The post headquarters was built in the early 1900s as officer's housing and headquarters.{{cite web | title = Post Headquarters| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/02-headquarters.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} It is now known as "Brown Hall," and houses Lake Superior State's Department of Education.
• Fire House: The fire house was built in the early 1900s.{{cite web | title = Fire House | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/09-fire.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}} It is now the Child Care Center.
• Post Office: The post office was built in 1920 to house the fort's post office and quartermaster troops.{{cite web | title = Post Office| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/03-admin.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} The building was remodeled in the 1940s into an office building, and is now known as the Administration Building. The structure houses the Offices of the President, Provost, and Employee Relations.
• East Gate: The East Gate and associated gatehouse were constructed in 1921 as the main entrance to the fort.{{cite web | title = East Gate| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/01-entrance.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}} The gatehouse now houses electrical equipment.
• WACS Barracks: This structure constructed in the 1930s to serve as barracks for the Women's Army Corps.{{cite web | title = Brady Hall | publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/05-brady.php| accessdate = April 20, 2012}} It is now used as a residence hall, and is known as Brady Hall, so named in honor of the first commander of Fort Brady.
• Gymnasium: The gymnasium was built in the 1930s as a gymnasium.{{cite web | title = Fletcher Center| publisher = Lake Superior State University | url = http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/virtualtour/07-fletcher.php| accessdate = April 21, 2012}} The building was used by Lake Superior State for athletic events and other school functions until 1976. The building, now known as the Fletcher Center, was then converted to house university offices, including Student Services, Financial Aid and the Registrar.

The primary responsibility of the post at New Fort Brady was to protect the canal. Troops from the fort assisted during civil unrest in 1894, and during the Spanish–American War of 1898, two thousand troops passed through the fort for training.

During World War II, 15,000 troops lived at Fort Brady, necessitating various temporary and not-so-temporary construction of habitations and facilities. The 2nd Infantry Division conducted cold-weather training at the fort to determine what equipment would be necessary.{{cite web |title=World War II |publisher=Lake Superior State University |url=http://www.lssu.edu/tour/brady/wwii.php |accessdate=April 21, 2012}}

In 1944, before the end of World War II, the Army decided to close the fort as surplus. In 1946, the Army gave the fort to the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University), who established a branch campus at the site. After renovation, the fort was sold to Lake Superior State College (now Lake Superior State University). Many of the original buildings have been replaced, but the major buildings of New Fort Brady have been well-maintained and form the heart of the campus. These buildings are now row houses, the Administration building, Fletcher Center, Brady Hall, South Hall, Brown Hall, East Hall and the Child Care Center.

{{reflist|33em}}

• [http://www.dwhike.com/History/Historic-Structures-of-2/7039677_5zBrqZ/2/450886701_aDEhs#!i=450885715&k=cwBrB Images of New Fort Brady]

{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Chippewa County, Michigan}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

Category:Government buildings completed in 1822

Category:Military installations established in the 1820s

Category:Government buildings completed in 1892

Category:Military installations established in 1892

Category:Buildings and structures in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Brady

Brady

Category:1822 establishments in Michigan Territory

Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Chippewa County, Michigan

Category:Military history of the Great Lakes

Category:Michigan State Historic Sites in Chippewa County