Benicia Arsenal

Solano County · Benicia · location approximate

Captain Charles P. Stone with 21 enlisted men established Benicia Arsenal in August 1851 as an ordnance depot. First building being erected in September 1851, a small wooden powder magazine. Between 1853 and 1863 Congress authorized an expenditure of $550,000 on the establishment and in the same period some 15 stone and frame buildings were constructed. The building was first called "California Ordnance Depot,"then"Benicia Arsenal Depot,"and finally in the spring of 1852"Benicia Arsenal." The arsenal played an important role in all crises from the Indian wars to our present situations. Some of the original buildings are in use today. Descendants of the men who established Benicia Arsenal are still living in Benicia and other parts of California.

1971 register text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native people; the state's landmark listings still carry most of this wording, and the California Office of Historic Preservation maintains the program's current texts.

Many of these plaques have since been recast or their texts revised. The California Historical Landmarks program and its current texts are maintained by the California Office of Historic Preservation. California Office of Historic Preservation ↗

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Marker data: State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks (1971)

More markers nearby

Benicia Capitolunder 1 mi
First Building Erected in California by Masonic Lodge for Use as a Hallunder 1 mi
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Site of Former Benicia Barracksunder 1 mi

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