Augusta Arsenal (1826)

Early scene from the Augusta Arsenal.

View facing what is now Washington Hall.

Originally, the U.S. Arsenal was on the banks of the Savannah River. However, the site proved to be unhealthy, with frequent fevers and deaths occurring among the soldiers and their families. The commandant, Capt. Matthew M. Payne, recommended the arsenal be moved to the healthier “hill” location, and in 1826 Congress authorized the purchase of 72 acres that were owned by Sen. Freeman Walker. Walker’s summer estate, called Belle Vue (beautiful vista) was purchased for $6,000, and a one-acre parcel was set aside as a cemetery for the Walker family.

The arsenal relocated the following year alongside the toll plank road that became known as Walton Way. With a $49,000 appropriation and some building materials from the original arsenal, four buildings (the present quadrangle) connected by a loop-holed wall were constructed. The buildings were completed in 1828 with the first occupants being Company C, Second Artillery. During the later part of that year, the arsenal was already supplying arms for the Georgia militia and for the Harper's Ferry Armory.

The troops saw action in the Seminole War in 1835 and also in campaigns against the Creek Indians. Interestingly, Lt. William T. Sherman spent 6 months at the arsenal in 1844. He is remembered most for his later march through Georgia during the Civil War.

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