St. Louis Arsenal

St. Louis Arsenal (1827-1904) - Established in 1827 in St. Louis, Missouri. Abandoned in 1904.

St. Louis Arsenal History

Established as a replacement for the 22 year old arsenal at Fort Bellefontaine. The arsenal was constructed on 37 acres, three miles south of St. Louis, within sight of Jefferson Barracks. The main arsenal building was 120' by 40' and three stories tall. By 1857 the complex had grown to about 25 buildings and included the powder magazines, barracks, support buildings and a hospital. The entire complex was surrounded by a 10 foot stone wall. The St. Louis city limits had also expanded and the arsenal found itself inside those city limits and a hazard to the community. Efforts were made to close the arsenal but the looming U.S. Civil War change that planning.

U.S. Civil War

As the U.S. Civil War became inevitable the commander of the Arsenal, who was a southern sympathizer, had secretly agreed to turn over the Arsenal to the State of Missouri if it seceded. Capt. Nathan Lyon arrived 6 Feb 1861 and fortified the Arsenal against the secessionists and by the start of the war on 12 Apr 1861 he had become the commander. Capt. Lyon was able to control the situation and the Arsenal remained in Union hands throughout the war playing a significant role in arming the Union forces in the west.

In 1863 the Arsenal was expanded and employed 700 civilians and 150 children who made rifle cartridges.

Post U.S. Civil War

After the war the Arsenal became the collecting point for surplus and captured arms. The Arsenal sold off and melted down the returned arms and by 1871 that role was complete. From 1871 to 1879 it served as a recruitment depot for the cavalry and after that it was a quartermaster clothing depot until 1923. From 1923 to 1952 it was a medical supply depot.

Current Status

Main structures still in use by the US Air Force National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

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Location: Southeast corner of Second and Arsenal Street across from Lyon Park, St. Louis, Missouri. Maps & Images Lat: 38.590619 Long: -90.208504 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: '

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 463

Links:

• North American Forts - St. Louis Arsenal
• Wikipedia - St. Louis Arsenal

Visited: 29 Jun 2010

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