CHARLESTON ARSENAL
After South Carolina seceded in December 1860, the arsenal was seized by the Charleston militia, and it remained under Confederate control for much of the Civil War. Confederate General Josiah Gorgas had the facilities expanded and modernized, utilizing steam power. It also served as barracks for Confederate troops. The arsenal was retaken in 1865, when Charleston fell to Union forces. By 1879, the Army closed the arsenal. The site is now a museum and library.
The Charleston Arsenal was built in 1841 and it served as a storage place for weapons, ordnance, and ammunition for the U.S. Army. The arsenal produced a considerable amount of artillery and small arms ammunition during the Mexican-American War and up to the Civil War.