The Watervliet Arsenal ( "water-vleet") is an arsenal

Arsenal

An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...

 of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 located in Watervliet, New York

Watervliet, New York

Watervliet is a city in Albany County in the US state of New York. The population was 10,254 as of the 2010 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".- History...

, on the west bank of the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

s, mortar

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

s, and tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s. It has been a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 since 1966.

The arsenal was founded in 1813 to support the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, and was designated as the Watervliet Arsenal in 1817. It occupies 142 acres (57 ha) of land, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

. The location is adjacent to the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

. The site contains manufacturing, administrative offices, storage areas, and a museum tracing weapon

Weapon

A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

ry from the 17th century through modern times. It also contains the Army's Benet Laboratories

Benet Laboratories

Benét Laboratories, part of the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, is the US Army's primary design, development, engineering and production & field support facility for large caliber armament systems, including Cannons, mortars, and recoilless rifles...

, which does product development, improvement, research, and testing.

Tenant activities

The Arsenal has the historic Iron Building

Iron Building (Watervliet Arsenal)

The Iron Building is a historic building at the Watervliet Arsenal in Watervliet, New York. It currently serves as the Watervliet Arsenal Museum....

, which currently serves as the Watervliet Arsenal Museum.

The Arsenal also contains Recruiting Station Albany, the headquarters of a United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 recruiting station.

On 17 February 2009, the headquarters of the United States Army Albany Recruiting Battalion relocated to Watervliet Arsenal from its old location on Wolf Road.

1813–1823

The arsenal was chosen to be built at the edge of the village of Gibonsville, directly opposite Troy, New York

Troy, New York

Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...

. It was chosen to be built there due to its key location on the Hudson River, only 60 miles (96.6 km) from Lake Champlain, 140 miles (225.3 km) from New York City, and a short distance via the Mohawk River to Lake Ontario. During the early stages of the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, attacks could be expected from many key ports and other locations. At the time, the Colonel of Ordnance was Decius Wadsworth

Decius Wadsworth

Wadsworth's cipher was a cipher invented by Decius Wadsworth, a Colonel in the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army. In 1817, he developed a progressive cipher system based on a 1790 design by Thomas Jefferson, establishing a method that was continuously improved upon and used until the end of...

; he originally designated the arsenal to produce fixed ammunition and small articles of equipment including gun carriages, drag ropes, ladles, wormers, sponges, and shot. The original plot of land acquired by the Department of Ordnance was 12 acres (48,562.3 m²). Construction began in the summer of 1813 on fourteen buildings: south and north gun houses, a brick arsenal, two stables, a guard house, commanding officer's quarters, a woodshed, two enlisted men's quarters, a hospital and one office. The cost for the land was 2,585.

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany County, New York

External links

• Official site: Watervliet Arsenal
• Arsenal Public Affairs Page (http://www.wva.army.mil/info.php)
• State of New York webpage for Watervliet Arsenal
• Watervliet Arsenal-Global Security.org