The Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant was a government-owned, contractor-operated (

GOCO Go-op (full name Go-op Cooperative Ltd,) is an open access train operating company which is currently proposing to operate a service between Taunton and Swindon, via Westbury. It aims to become the first cooperatively owned train operating c ...

) facility 12 miles west of

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. ...

that was established in 1942. The land was purchased from local citizens through

Eminent Domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

by the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

. The Lone Star Defense Corporation, a subsidiary of the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Corporation, won the contract on July 23, 1941 to produce artillery shells, bombs, fuses, boosters, and other auxiliary munitions at the site. The plant produced ammunition throughout World War II, the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The plant was last operated by Day & Zimmermann.

Today

The Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant was officially deactivated September 30, 2009, after serving its mission of providing ammunition for almost 70 years. Future plans include directing the I-69 Corridor through the facility once the property has been transferred from the local community.

Environment

The Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant was listed as a

Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...

site on the

National Priorities List The National Priorities List (NPL) is the priority list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial investigation and remedial action (cleanup) financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protec ...

on July 22, 1987. The

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

listed the primary contaminants of concern as

tetryl 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine commonly referred to as tetryl ( C7 H5 N5 O8) is an explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Tetryl is a nitramine booster explosive, though its use has been largely superseded ...

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...

, and

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

. Cleanup activities began on June 29, 2001 and continued until September 24, 2002. The site should be deleted from the National Priorities List in 2010.

References

External links

GlobalSecurity.org - Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant
* {{coord, 33, 25, 59, N, 94, 14, 56, W, display=title United States Army arsenals Buildings and structures in Bowie County, Texas Historic American Engineering Record in Texas Military facilities in Texas Military Superfund sites United States Army arsenals during World War II Superfund sites in Texas 1942 establishments in Texas 2009 disestablishments in Texas