Rhode Island State and National Guard units were stationed at the Varnum Memorial Armory from 15 July 1918 through 14 January 1996, marking seventy-seven years and six months of service. The sequence of units traced an institutional lineage from the Varnum Provisional Training Company in June 1916 to the 16th Company, Rhode Island State Guard, in July 1918; the 16th Company, Coast Artillery Corps, Rhode Island National Guard, in June 1920; the 3rd Company, Coast Artillery Corps, in September 1921; the 347th Company, Coast Artillery Corps, in January 1922; Battery I, 243rd Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, in October 1923; Battery I, 243rd Coast Artillery, Harbor Defense, in April 1924; the Searchlight Battery, 243rd Coast Artillery, Harbor Defense, in April 1940; Battery K, 243rd Coast Artillery, Harbor Defense, in August 1945; Battery B, 705th Anti-Aircraft Gun Battalion, in July 1946; Battery B, 705th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, in October 1953; Battery B, 1st Automatic Weapons Battalion, 243rd Artillery, in April 1959; Company B, 243rd Engineer Battalion, in May 1962; the 705th Military Police Company in May 1968; Headquarters, 243rd Engineer Battalion, in March 1972; and the 1207th Transportation Company in September 1980.