"for the deposit of arms"

The Small Arsenal building that stood here from 1806 to 1861 was one of two warehouses for the nearby United States Armory. In 1821, a Harpers Ferry visitor described both buildings as arsenals for the deposit of arms manufactured, consisting of rifles, muskets, and some pistols that were handsomely arranged and made a fine show. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry hoping to inspire a revolt against slavery and wanted the arsenal's weapons to arm recruits. Brown's raid came to a bloody end, but his actions helped propel the nation into the Civil War. When fighting broke out in 1861, retreating U.S. troops burned both federal arsenal buildings to keep the weapons from falling into Confederate hands.

Lovettsville, Maryland · United States