"A State of Perfect Chaos" Sign

Sign titled, "A State of Perfect Chaos."

NPS Photo/MWoods

Quick Facts

Location:

Dry Dock 1

Description

Low-profile wayside that is 42 x 24 inches. It has a black rectangular base with two rectangular pillars supporting the wayside panel. The panel is framed in black metal. The wayside is located on cement directly in front of and facing Dry Dock 1.  

Layout

At the top of the sign is a thin black banner with white text. Aligned to the left is "Boston National Historical Park – Charlestown Navy Yard." Aligned to the right in order from left to right is the USS Constitution Museum logo, the text "National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior," and finally the National Park Service arrowhead. The panel has a color landscape painting as the background. The title and main text are located on the painting’s sky. The title of the sign is in large italicized black font in the top left corner. The title is a quote, so the source is aligned right below it in small, upright black font. A slightly smaller subhead is to the right of the main title. Below it, in smaller black font, is the main text. The painting caption is in white font in the bottom left corner.  

Quote (upper left)

“A state of perfect chaos” — William Bainbridge, 1812 

Title

 The Navy Yard in the War of 1812 

Main Background Image

Boston Harbor is in the foreground and mid-ground of the painting. Three boats are in the water in the foreground. To the left of the foreground are two large wooden ships. The far-left ship is docked along the wharf, and the other one is several feet from the dock. Both ships have tall masts that extend into the sky in the background. Red flags fly from atop both of their masts. The canvas of the left ship’s sails are down. Three mariners are visible on the deck, two men sitting in the bow and one standing at the stern. The left man in the bow is wearing a pink hat and blue shirt, while the man to his right is in a dark hat and green shirt. The man at the stern is in a black hat, black shirt, and white pants, and he is adjusting canvas on a sail. Five men are in the boat to the right, three in the bow and two at the stern. The front-most man in the bow is bent over to pick up what looks like a barrel. He wears a white hat and white shirt. The man behind him is slightly bent and wears a red hat, green shirt, and blue pants. Another man is standing behind him and wears a blat hat, red shirt, and blue pants. The two men in the stern haul a rope on deck that extends into the water. The man on the left wears a black hat, blue shirt and white pants while the man to the right wears a black hat, pink shirt, and blue pants. The ship’s sail is low on the mast but starting to be raised. To the right of the ship is a rowboat that faces the ship. A man stands at the bow of the rowboat facing the harbor. He wears a round hat, white shirt, brown vest, and blue trousers. Two men sit on the bench in the center of the boat with their backs to the man in the bow. The man on the left wears a top hat, a brown jacket, a white shirt, a pink scarf, and blue trousers. The man on the right looks towards the one on the left and wears a white blouse, brown trousers, and a pink hat. He holds an oar in his left hand that crosses in front of the other man as it sits in the water. A man sits in the stern of the rowboat and looks to his right. He wears a top hat, green vest, pink shirt, and blue trousers. A large dark building is visible behind the two ships in the background of the left side of the painting. A large structure extends into the sky in front of the building with an American flag flying from the top. Six boats are in the mid-ground of the painting. A two-masted ship white a dark hull and white sails is in the center of the painting. In front of it and between the right wooden ship and rowboat, is a small sailboat. A man sits in the bow and faces the stern. He wears a top hat, a blue jacket, and light trousers. Three sailboats are on the right side of the painting. The left ship has its sails raised, and a person is on deck. The ship to its right has its sails lowered and a man stands in the stern. The bow of the ship to its right disappears into the right edge of the painting. Two sails are raised, and three men stand in the stern. The ship tugs a rowboat behind it. Various other ships are in the background, along the coastline of Boston. Old North Church’s steeple is visible in the background. Smoke from a smokestack rises in the distance to the right. The water throughout the painting is dark and shimmering.  

Image Caption

This 1833 view of Boston from the west end of the Navy Yard shows a harbor full of busy activity. The steeple of the Old North Church is still a prominent landmark. [Courtesy Library of Congress]  

Main Text

 When Captain William Bainbridge took command of the Navy Yard in April 1812, he found little but a tract of marshy land and nine buildings in disrepair. Only 12 years old, the yard still had no deep water wharf for ships or adequate storage for supplies. A state-owned magazine miles away housed the Navy’s gunpowder. Bainbridge repeatedly tried to improve the Yard’s facilities, but the Navy Department did not have the funds. In 1813, workers erected a new brick storehouse and blacksmith shop, and in 1814 an enormous shed or “shiphouse” covered the ship of the line under construction. Despite these improvements, many years passed before the Yard assumed the character of the industrial complex seen today.