Historical Marker

War of 1812 Marker

Orleans · Barnstable County

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

The Story

War of 1812 Marker is a historic marker located at Rock Harbor in Orleans, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Built in 1979, designed by Bill Quinn. It is part of a local historic district.

About this site

War of 1812 Marker is a historical marker in Orleans, Barnstable County. It is one of 250 historical markers documented in Barnstable County, among 6,897 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.

The site sits at 41.7994, -70.0089 near Orleans. The nearest cataloged historic site is House at 38 Anchor Dr (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat CG 36500, House at 34 Anchor Dr, and House at 17 Anchor Dr.

This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

This marker in Orleans commemorates the Battle of Rock Harbor, a skirmish of the War of 1812. On December 19, 1814, British marines from HMS Newcastle came ashore intending to burn boats and property at Rock Harbor, but the Orleans militia turned out and drove them off, reportedly killing one of the attackers. The confrontation was one of the last military incidents of the war, coming just days before the Treaty of Ghent was signed; the commemorative marker was placed in 1976 during the national Bicentennial.

Sources: orleanshistoricalsociety.org hmdb.org

📍 41.7994, -70.0089 · Orleans, Barnstable County

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