Mount Vernon Arsenal (2)
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Mount Vernon Arsenal (2) (1828-1894) - A U.S. Army arsenal established in 1828 in Mobile County, Alabama. Captured by Confederate forces in 1861 and held by them until the end of the U.S. Civil War. Returned to a U.S. Arsenal after the war. Designated Mount Vernon Barracks in 1873. Abandoned in 1894 and deeded to the State of Alabama in 1895.
History The arsenal was authorized by Congress in 1824, completed in 1828 and formally designated on 1 Jan 1829 as Mount Vernon Arsenal. The primary function of the arsenal in the early years was the assembly of guns manufactured elsewhere and the manufacture of ammunition. The site had earlier been occupied as a cantonment area for nearby Fort Stoddert which was sited on the banks of the Mobile River in an unhealthy location. The cantonment area was on high ground with a healthy water supply that proved ideal for the Arsenal. U.S. Civil WarThe arsenal was seized by Alabama troops 4 Jan 1861 on orders from the Alabama governor. The arsenal commander, Captain Jesse l. Reno, surrendered the garrison without incident and the Alabama troops took it over. The arsenal became a Confederate arsenal until the end of the war. After the fall of New Orleans in 1862, many of the arsenal functions and the equipment were moved to the Selma Arsenal because it was further away from Union forces. The arsenal was returned to the Federal government at the end of the war in 1865. Mount Vernon BarracksThe arsenal was redesignated as Mount Vernon Barracks on 25 Jul 1873. The barracks was used as a prison for some 396 captured Apache Indians who were relocated from Fort Pickens and Fort Marion in Florida. The post served as a home for Apache Chief, Geronimo and 395 other Apache prisoners of war between 1887 and 1894. Thirteen Apache Indians who died at the post are now buried at Mobile National Cemetery. ClosureMount Vernon Arsenal was abandoned in December 1894 and deeded to the State of Alabama in 1895 to be used for public purposes. On 11 Dec 1900, the property was set apart by the Alabama Legislature for the use of the insane Black Citizens of the State as Mt. Vernon Hospital. It later became Searcy Hospital, which operated at the site for more than 100 years. Current StatusA Roadside Marker and some original buildings including the turreted Officer's Quarters remain in Mount Vernon, Mobile County, Alabama.
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Visited: 21 Dec 2017
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