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The
Benicia Arsenal was a staging area during the
Civil War for Union troops
from the West, and the installation remained a garrisoned post until 1898
when troops were assigned to duty in the Philippine Islands during the
Spanish-American War. During World War I, Benicia Arsenal gave ordnance
support to all large Army installations in the Western States as well as
supplying Ordnance material to American expeditionary forces in Siberia.
In the 24 hours following the Pearl Harbor bombing, 125 separate truck
convoys were loaded and dispatched from the Benicia Arsenal, leaving its
stock of ammunition, small arms and high explosives completely exhausted.
Throughout the war, the arsenal supplied ports with weapons, artillery,
parts, supplies and tools. In addition, the arsenal overhauled 14,343
pairs of binoculars, manufactured 180,000 small items for tanks and
weapons and repaired approximately 70,000 watches. However, the arsenal is
most famous for supplying munitions to Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle
for the first bombing raid on Tokyo on April 18, 1942, launched from the
USS Hornet.
Prior to 1940, the arsenal employed 85
civilian employees at Benecia Arsenal. The labor shortage in 1944 forced
the arsenal commander to put 250 Italian and 400 German prisoners of war
to work, alongside 150 juveniles from the
California
Youth Authority. Women comprised nearly half the civilian employee force.
During the Korean War, the number of civilians reached an all-time high of
6,700 workers.
Benicia Arsenal was deactivated in 1963 and
the facility was closed in 1964. Today, the arsenal has been redeveloped
into an artists community. The art district continues to display a number
of historic buildings including the historic Camel Barn, which now houses
the Benicia Historical Museum, a gunpowder magazine, the historic
Clocktower Building, the barracks hospital, and other buildings, primarily
utilized for private purposes.
The Benicia Arsenal is located at Army Point
and I-680 in Benicia at 2024 Camel Road.
Contact Information:
Benecia Historical Museum
2060 Camel Road
Benicia,
California
94510-2339
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