The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22

Old United States Arsenal
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BY ETHEL ARMIES.

ne lfdnle road GlssOiNeQ AT THIS point
into series Of park roads. which wind
through the trees. past the hag-staff and
the old rife guns, the parade ground, and
i along the river side. to the quaint old
quadrangle. An old easement embrasure
and a gun-yard once marked the grounds
which are used today for drill and parade.
Just IN front of the Flagstaff there was
formerly located a pendulum house. in
which was a pendulum balance for test
, ing the force of gunpowder. There were
also placed here a number of the old
trophy guns, captured cannon, and NOR
tsrs. among them one Blakely gun, in
scribed:
Presented to the sovereign state of
South Carolina by one of her citizens re-
siding abroad. in commemoration of the
goth of December 1850"
There was also brass gun captured at
Gettysburg with ball in its muzzle, as
well as some guns surrendered by the
British at Saratoga, 1777; some French
guns, recalling the battle of Niagara, and
a 64-pounder captured at Vera Cruz Some
of these trophies now surround the sur
geon's quarters.
The space is unincumbered now, and
/ rolls a broad surface to the water. The
maple trees are af1ame over 1t, and the
grass is all grown rusty, like the color
of the old bayonets.
On the left of the square, direct from
the surgeons quarters, runs a series OF
buildings, first the old guard-house. which
Is to be coverted into a photograph labora-
tory for the engineer school; then the ad-
ministration building, which was original
~ constructed for a museum, but Is now
used as quarters for field officers: then
little group of houses, designated the
Bachelors Quarters"
These are quite charming, with delight
full gardens in their rear. inclosed by
high brick walls, columned with corniced
pillars Here grow box bushes lilac. and
| old time flowers. Porches lead out to the
gardens, while the front doors step down
very nearly into the parade ground. Fol-
lowing these quarters come the OFFICES
and storehouses of the quartermaster and
commissary of subsistence, the barracks
for the three companies of engineers,
gymnasium band quarters. stables and
workshops. In their rear are located the
quarters for the non-commissioned Off
GERS and their families.
These old buildings We're in former days
foundries gun sheds. timber storehouses.
engine sheds. driving houses, armorers
shops finishing shops, and storehouses
where were stored guns, shot and shell,
small arms, artillery implements, equip
ments for cavalry and infantry accouter-
ments Not one of them was designed
originally for barracks or for any OF the
purposes for which they are used today.
In the explosion in 1851. when twenty-one
working girls suffered a horrible death
and dozens of artisans and soldiers were
killed, the roofs and second stories OF the
main work shop were blown TO atoms, so
the buildings were sawed off in the middle
and rooted over. Work shops as they all
were they were designed with much ar
tistic sense. and none of this has been
lost in the remodeling. but the OLD shops
run, arch on arch, all down the Inc ol
the parade They are painted, TOO, the
color of all the quarters on the grounds.
a light-toned brown with dark trimmings,
the verv look of fading leaves, and 1t all
falls into strange harmony with the
place.
The quadrangle is the quaintest part
of the Arsenal This is on the extreme
noint lacking "out to sea-" aboard the
site of the FIRST breastworks. 1t Is a llttie
walled-in space, with sun-dial IN lts
heart and a group of old fashioned puiu
ines gathered close in ring arounu
about IT, Two arched gateways enter the
Snanish- looking courtyard, and the south-
ernmost quarters back right down to the
! water saving for the sea wall like the
! bo,,sas of Venice Then, too, every one
I of them is little picture house FOR
| instance, there Is the officers mess lnat
| is one-story slanting-roofed puilains
| full a hundred feet long and only twenty
civ in width Ii has more than half
dozen chimneys and the funniest little
windows that were ever put into mousse
having brown headings like mats 700
large for them to wear. This little capii'-
looking building was the nrst neaoqual-
ters of the Arsenal. and all the ONCE
worl, was transacted here from 1870 up
mil its occupation as quarters by SER
oaapt Of ordnance II became later quar-
ters of the commanding onicers' capt
Alexander occupying it while ne was s'a,
toned at the post. Now II is the Ola
conteen" Nearly every house in the quad
oplf fo
NOT one has been modernized so living
there today is far from being a picnic,
even IL 1t does sound picturesque.
Truth to tell, the Arsenal has made
over. cut and recut till Its old bones acne
and n can do no more, and though 1t can
! 10 MT on and does put on. a fine-lookins
uniform close inspection reveals rags ana
tatters beneath the coat and all the hnlng
is gone. 1t has been good soldier anu
it's needs a more comfortable home IN us
old age. and certainly some new ciotnes
Rut-to the quadrangle. The hagstait
va limo hell were first placed here. and
there was an old wharf at the point where
n rod light now signals land near. Both
the wharves alongside the grounds were
burned long ago by fire from the river
steamers.
THE frst house on the Potomac side was
orieinallv the quarters of the first COM
nandine officer NJ Willard, French
officer. who came over with Lafayette
IN lie left hand are other old officers
o,arters still termed 1.-The old north
store house" 1t being used as such by
the ordnance department The 'old south
store house" is directly opposite. rms
Iast was occupied as barrack after the
most was garrisoned by the line ana was
not converted into officers quarters nhtl
1885. No. 10 was also once a parrack, 'hen
, = canteen. and now quarters No. ID was
conatructed and used as a hospital. No
1G was first workshop, then band bar
rack. and in 1886 was converted into oni-
cers' quarters 1t Is minus both Kitchen
and basement Like most OF the quarters,
it is heated by stoves -
lust outside of the quadrangle is NO. H.
, This has had an interesting evolution
arst a carpenter shop: second, stables for
the light battery: third. machine and
blacksmith shop, then guardhouse, sad
dlers room, forage loft, harness room,
dispensary, and now, quarters for the en-
gineer band.
There was formerly a large village OF
sbanties down here aft the James creek
nost-traders shops, saw MILL garden
cottage. oil house bake house, coal house
and magazine The old Arsenal has Ia
bored in Its day, and much has happened
there.
In the days when the city was first laid
out IT went by the name or United states
reservation. Greenleafss Point and Tur-
kew Ruzzard Fort. 1t was embraced In
the estate of Motley Young. and In an IN
strument dated 1897 signed by President
Washington il is designated Reservation
NJ Z and is ordered to be conveyed for
"use of the United States in the city or