Vigilante Fort Gunnybags San Francisco 4 Editorial Image

With the American Civil War brewing in the 1850`s, in San Francisco, like many other cities and towns across the country, there was much public debate and newspaper editorializing about what to do, with no agreements. To protect the city from mob rule after the assassination of one newspaper editor by another, a warehouse was taken over for a vigilante committee. Since they were using gun sacks filled with sand around the building, the building got the name `Fort Gunnybags`. The building did not survive the Earthquake and Fire of 1906.Although greatly feared, during the five years in existence, there are only eight people known to have been hung there. As seen 27 July 2022.