Augusta Arsenal papers

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS-162

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains financial, inventory, and administrative papers related to the Augusta Arsenal during the second quarter of 1861.

Dates

Created: April-July, 1861
Other: Date acquired: 06/11/1991

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions; Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

No restrictions; Collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

The Augusta Arsenal was a United States military installation established in 1816 in Augusta, Georgia, initially located along the Savannah River and completed in 1819. Following a devastating fever epidemic, the arsenal was relocated in 1827 to the Summerville area, where a complex of brick buildings was constructed on the former Bellevue estate. During the Civil War, the site was seized by the State of Georgia and expanded as a major Confederate ordnance manufacturing center. The arsenal continued to serve U.S. military functions through the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II before closing in 1955. The property was subsequently transferred for educational use and now forms the core of Augusta University’s Summerville campus, where several original structures remain.