The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-25
Old Cannon FactoryNow
Corn-Grinding Mill;Ar-
senalGrounds a Farm.
SWORDS MADE INTO
GOOD WSHARES
History of the Place Where
Guns Were Made to Kill and
Main People in Three Wars.
Nov Used to Make Bread
and Meat-Now Great
Industrial Proposition.
ny rnAND :. woopsoy.

ny THAND :. WOODsoN.
We have all read the pre.ty stories
baH@i upon the legend that some great
"arTior or general once upon a time
took all Of his swords aad separs ana
guns, II ne had any in his day ana
tune 10 a blacksmith shop or foun-
dfy and bad them made into plow-
hnaTes figuratiyely speaking. mat
that Kind 81 thing has been done in
and around Richmond. About a dozen
miles Up tho James River. over on tho
ghesieEheid side. model up-to-late
farm Is Producing nne crops and bring
ins me owner gooi proats. and hard
- there 30 mill TIM, mas a great
reputation Tor turning OUT superior
meal. nnd all this good work IL be-
ms done on the site OF j cannon and
bail and bullet factory and an arsenal
and 20 der mnsazine which were
used. ais used yigOrously 10y two dis
tnct governments In bloody war
old Beloua Arsenal stands. or did
rtand on commanding blum over
looking James River twelve miles
from Richmond and about three miles
above Boaher's Dam y Is ia Ches
terrified County. snd has . history a.
most AZ ancient az that % the county
and equally as interesting spent
a dag last week a, Beicn- ARSENAL. OF
rather - mo hofne ~ w. T. Camack.
ihe farmer and miller r<o is now
uslnp 20 suth indus rial advantage the
plowshArrs that we're made oui or en-
r; mes ~ WAY. Asu-atively speaking
From III. canack. wEp mas The whoic
STORY ON mis- tongues end, gathered
the Interesting history OF old Belona
arsenal and u Is jusN well placed
81 the Incustrla. Section as 1t woui-
Nc 10 olr Confederate Column. FOR -
is now mose OF an Industrial story
tnan u IS WAY history. although the
two arc closely blendid.
GREAT Cannon Factory.
away back yondcr. about 1910. per-
haQs - fcw years earlier. Major John
clarke. 81 ChesieEneli County and OF
Richmond. established aea. the river
III place then called Belona ioun-
dry or factory Tor the manufacture OF
cannon, shells, cannon balls and
musket hulleta.
Iie easily mace large contacts with
"a. Cnite3 states government. and
cannon made in h.s factory and thou
sands upon thousands az bullets mould
ID there were used TO the bitter end
in the Var OF 1912, and it IS more
than likely that the create. part %:
tho bullets which old Hlckory's men
fred inio inc British at New orleans
long after the treaty ~ peace had
been signed were made In Ma jog
Ciarke's forntry. The factory also
furnished reviews Of war IN the ngat
with the Mc.,aars Nothing Is lot
now of this old foundr: except the
rock foundations An old frame house
on the hillside near the foundation.
and yet IN a good state OF preserva-
tion. was used FOR the storage o: pat
terms. etc. and not far from this Is
the two-story brick house which was
Captain Clarke's oifice and had lodging
rooms FOR some OF his workmen. :.
ff TOR
cannon were hred when the finished !
artillery was tested st!ll remains. as
does the blum into which We're hred
the balls in this testing process.
Major Clarke built magnificent
road from his cannon factory TO Man
chester and hauled all ~ the products
OF the factory over that road to be
shipped by the james River to such
points as the government, ordered
them. This road became known as
the Gun Road and IT Is stil called
the old Gun Road, although il is not
much used in these days
President Madison Gets Busy
The business Of The government with
Major Clarke and his cannon factory
ercw to such large propori ms Pfesi
don't Madison deemed it wise TO os
tahllsh barracks. an arsenal and "a
magazine at OF very near TO the fac
tory. In 1873 therefore. the United
states bought tWenty-sevcn and han
acres OF land adjoining the lands OF
Major Clarke. and just Up tho hin
from the cannon factory. as the papers
in the case expressed it, "fos the pur-
pose Of establishing an ordinance de-
partment" 1t was the purpose OF tho
government to build fort, arsenals.
etc. AT once bat war was ON hand
end there were various other troubles
that caused delay. ana IT ives lot un-
Ill 1916 that the work WAS coIcn.encei
On two stones that We're perhaps tho
corner-stoncs OF the whole business.
but which now lie Ia the rubbish OF
one OF the outer walls of the old fort.
are these words and names: on the
FIRST
On the second
Commenced January, 1916.
Finished October 1914
James Madison, President. James
Munford colonel OF ordinance. George
Bomford. lieuionant- colonel OF or.i-
nance; j. q Hayden. captain OF ordi-
nance. Military Departments. Robert
Lecky. master mason James Walford.
master builder; Andrew Pagan and
Josiah p Pierce, master carpenters "
Wen Fortified Fort.
The buildings bordered a square OF
two and one third acres and consisted
OF arscnals for the storage of cam
non small arms of all kinds shells.
cannon balls. muskct bullets. bAyoucts
swords aud al of tic paraphernalia
of WAY. shops for repairing. barracks
70. the accommodation of one com
,any of soldiers and for the work
men homes for the officers and for a
surgeon and hospital building.
Down the hill hundred yards from