Benicia Arsenal
Benicia Arsenal (1851-1964) - A U.S. Army arsenal established in 1851 by Bvt. Captain Charles P. Stone in present day Benicia, Solano County, California. Abandoned in 1964.
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Benicia Arsenal History
Established by Bvt. Captain Charles P. Stone, Ordnance Department, in 1851.
The U.S. Army built several installations on Benicia Military Reservation:
- Benicia Barracks (1849-1898) occupied 99.5 acres in the northwest corner of the parcel; its hospital still exists today as an office building. It was the U.S. Army headquarters for the Department of the Pacific from 1851-1857 and was the embarkation point for most troops destined for Pacific Coast service up to the U.S. Civil War.
- Benicia Quartermaster's Depot (1849-1858) in the southern part of the Arsenal reservation near the waterfront, used for storing supplies from 1849-1858; none of its original buildings survive today.
- Benicia Arsenal (1851-1964) - established in 1850 for the storage and issuance of military materials; it was the first Ordnance Supply Depot in the West. In 1852, the US government designated the Benicia Arsenal as one of the country's five permanent arsenals.
Closed in 1964 and priviatized.
| Assumed | Relieved | Rank | Name | Cullum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | 1856 | Bvt Captain | Stone, Charles P. | 1237 | |
| 1856 | 1860 | Captain | Callender, Franklin D. | 993 | |
| 1860 | 1864 | Colonel | McAllister, Julian | 1334 | |
| 1864 | 1867 | Lt. Colonel | Wainwright, Robert A. | 837 | |
| 1867 | 1886 | Colonel | McAllister, Julian | 1334 | |
| 1886 | 1889 | Colonel | Aspin, Silas | N/A | |
| 1889 | 1890 | Maj. | Marye, William A. | 1977 | |
| 1890 | 1899 | Colonel | Babbitt, Lawrence S. | 1947 | |
| 1899 | 1902 | Colonel | Mordecai, Alfred | 1941 | |
| 1902 | 1903 | Lt. Colonel | Greer, John E. | 2163 | |
| 1903-07-21 | 1903-09-07 | 1st Lt. | King, David M. | 3523 | |
| 1903 | 1904 | Maj. | MacNutt, Ira | 2329 | |
| 1904-03-16 | 1904-07-10 | 1st Lt. | King, David M. | 3523 | |
| 1904 | 1905 | Maj. | Hobbs, Frank E. | 2719 | |
| 1905-04-15 | 1905-05-18 | 1st Lt. | King, David M. | 3523 | |
| 1905 | 1911 | Lt. Colonel | Benét, James W. | 2860 | |
| 1911 | 1913 | Lt. Colonel | Ruggles, Colden L'H. | 3335 | |
| 1913 | 1914 | Lt. Colonel | Joyes, John W. | 3568 | |
| 1915 | 1917 | Lt. Colonel | Schull, Herman W. | 3886 | |
| 1917 | 1919 | Colonel | Baker, Frank | 2415 | This officer's first name was legally changed after this date, to Francis. |
| 1919 | 1923 | Colonel | O'Hern, Edward P. | 3569 | |
| 1923-07-17 | 1925-07-06 | Maj. | Smith, Thomas J. | 4655 | |
| 1925 | 1928 | Maj. | Partridge, Clarence E. | 4766 | |
| 1928 | 1932 | Colonel | Lemon, George F. | N/A | |
| 1932 | 1935 | Colonel | Kiehl, Philip J.R. | 4381 | |
| 1935 | 1938 | Colonel | Nickerson, Lewis A. | 5025 | |
| 1938 | 1940 | Lt. Colonel | Krupp, Oscar | N/A | |
| 1940-09 | 1942-01-05 | Colonel | Kiehl, Philip J.R. | 4381 | |
| 1941 | 1942 | Lt. Colonel | Rogers, George D. | 6439 | |
| 1942 | 1943 | Colonel | O'Leary, Herbert | 4878 | |
| 1943 | 1946 | Colonel | Rutten, Paul G. | N/A | |
| 1946 | 1950 | Colonel | Nickerson, Lewis A. | 5025 | |
| 1950 | 1953 | Colonel | Chavin, R.S. | N/A | |
| 1953 | 1955 | Colonel | Hall, Francis G. | N/A | Cullum 9464 not online yet |
| 1955 | 1958 | Colonel | Lawther, J. Paul | N/A | |
| 1958 | 1959 | Colonel | Moats, W.B. | N/A | |
| 1959 | 1961 | Colonel | Wells Jr., Albert C. | N/A | |
| 1961 | 1962 | Colonel | Sherden, John P. | N/A | |
| 1962 | 1964 | Maj. | Kuehl, Gregory | N/A | |
| Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. | |||||
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Benicia 1872 Guardhouse-Firehouse Building
Current Status
Some of the original (1850s) arsenal buildings now part of a city Park and museum complex in Benicia, Solano County, California.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1702164
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Location: Benicia, Solano County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 38.054036 Long: -122.135561 |
Sources:
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 22-23
- 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 62
- Frazer, Robert W. (editor), Mansfield on the conditions of The Western Forts, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1963, ISBN 0-8061-1083-X, page 155
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Benicia Arsenal
- California Military Museum - The Posts at Benicia
- Wikipedia - Benicia Arsenal
- National Park Service - Benecia Arsenal
- Historic Photos
Visited: No
Benicia Arsenal Picture Gallery
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