Rock Island Arsenal

Infobox_nrhp | name =Rock Island Arsenal
nrhp_type =nhl


caption = Rock Island Arsenal, Quarters 1
location= Rock Island, Illinois
lat_degrees = 41 | lat_minutes = 31 | lat_seconds = 1 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 90 | long_minutes = 32 | long_seconds = 31 | long_direction = W
locmapin = Illinois
area =
built =1832
architect= General Thomas J. Rodman "et al".
architecture= Greek Revival, Italianate
designated= June 07, 1988cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=819&ResourceType=District
title=Rock Island Arsenal |accessdate=2007-10-13|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = September 30, 1969cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
refnum=69000057

The Rock Island Arsenal comprises 946 acres (3.8 km²), located on Arsenal Island in the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois. The island was originally established as a government site in 1816 - with the building of Fort Armstrong. It is now the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States. It has been an active manufacturer of military equipment and ordnance since the 1880s. In 1919-20 100 of the Anglo-American or Liberty Mark VIII (tank) were manufactured, although too late for World War I.

Established as both an arsenal and a center for the manufacture of leather accoutrements and field gear, today it provides manufacturing, logistics, and base support services for the Armed Forces. The Arsenal is the only active US Army foundry, and manufactures ordnance and equipment, including artillery, gun mounts, recoil mechanisms, small arms, aircraft weapons sub-systems, grenade launchers, weapons simulators, and a host of associated components. [ [http://ria-jmtc.ria.army.mil/ U.S. Army website for Rock Island Arsenal] ] Some of the Arsenal's most successful products include the M198 and M119 towed howitzers, and the M1A1 gun mount. About 250 military personnel and 6,000 civilians work there. The 2000 census population was 145.

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum was established on July 4, 1905. It is the second oldest US Army Museum in the United States after the West Point Museum. The museum has been closed down twice, during World War I and World War II, to provide more space for manufacturing facilities.

During the Civil War, Arsenal Island was home to a large Union army prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers (the Rock Island Prison Barracks). A total of 1,964 Confederate prisoners and 125 Union guards are buried in the adjacent military cemetery, including 49 members of the 108th Regiment of United States Colored Troops, most of which died from disease or exposure. The prison camp was operational from December 1863 until July 1865 when the last prisoners were freed and sent home. During its two years in operation, the prison camp housed over 12,400 different Confederates. Following the war, the government retained ownership of Arsenal Island and used it for various functions.

Other historical sites in the area include the Confederate Cemetery, the Rock Island National Cemetery, 19th century stone workshops, officers' quarters along the river, Col. Davenport's House, and the site of the first bridge built across the Mississippi.

See also

*Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois

Literary References

* In the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone with the Wind", Ashley Wilkes was imprisoned on Arsenal Island during the Civil War.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ria.army.mil/ The Rock Island Arsenal Homepage]
* [http://ria-jmtc.ria.army.mil/ The Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing & Arsenal at GlobalSecurity.org Technology Center]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/rock-island.htm The Rock Island Arsenal profile at globalsecurity.org]
* [http://riamwr.com/museum.htm The Rock Island Arsenal Museum]
* [http://www.bitsofblueandgray.com/august2003.htm Rock Island Civil War prison]
* [http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/riarsenal.html Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal, and Confederate POW Camp]