Watervliet Arsenal

Watervliet Arsenal
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Historic Iron Building
Location:	Broadway Watervliet, New York
Coordinates:	42°43′06″N 73°42′31″W
Area:	142 acres (57 ha)
Built:	1813
Governing body:	U.S. Army
NRHP Reference#:	66000503
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	November 13, 1966
Designated NHL:	November 13, 1966

16-inch coast artillery gun stamped Watervliet Arsenal 1921

The Watervliet Arsenal ( /ˈwɔːtərvliːt/) is an arsenal of the United States Army located in Watervliet, New York, on the west bank of the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars, and tanks. It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966.

The arsenal was founded in 1813 to support the War of 1812, and was designated as the Watervliet Arsenal in 1817. It occupies 142 acres (57 ha) of land, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of Albany, New York. The location is adjacent to the Hudson River. The site contains manufacturing, administrative offices, storage areas, and a museum tracing weaponry from the 17th century through modern times. It also contains the Army's Benet Laboratories, which does product development, improvement, research, and testing.

Tenant activities

The Arsenal has the historic Iron Building, which currently serves as the Watervliet Arsenal Museum.

The Arsenal also contains Recruiting Station Albany, the headquarters of a United States Marine Corps recruiting station.

On 17 February 2009, the headquarters of the United States Army Albany Recruiting Battalion relocated to Watervliet Arsenal from its old location on Wolf Road.

1813–1823

The arsenal was chosen to be built at the edge of the village of Gibonsville, directly opposite Troy, New York. It was chosen to be built there due to its key location on the Hudson River, only 60 miles (97 km) from Lake Champlain, 140 miles (230 km) from New York City, and a short distance via the Mohawk River to Lake Ontario. During the early stages of the War of 1812, attacks could be expected from many key ports and other locations. At the time, the Colonel of Ordnance was Decius Wadsworth; he originally designated the arsenal to produce fixed ammunition and small articles of equipment including gun carriages, drag ropes, ladles, wormers, sponges, and shot. The original plot of land acquired by the Department of Ordnance was 12 acres (49,000 m²). Construction began in the summer of 1813 on fourteen buildings: south and north gun houses, a brick arsenal, two stables, a guard house, commanding officer's quarters, a woodshed, two enlisted men's quarters, a hospital and one office. The cost for the land was US$2,585.

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany County, New York

References

• 1813-1993 The Watervliet Arsenal; A Chronology of the Nation's Oldest Arsenal. edited and compiled by James V. Murray and John Swantek

External links

• Official site: (http://www.wva.army.mil)
• Arsenal Public Affairs Page (http://www.wva.army.mil/info.php)
• State of New York webpage for Watervliet Arsenal
• Watervliet Arsenal-Global Security.org