The State Arsenal, originally the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery Arsenal, and commonly called the Benefit Street Arsenal is a historic armory building located at 176 Benefit Street in the College Hill neighborhood of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. It was built in 1829, was designed by Russell Warren in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, and was built by Tallman & Bucklin. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1970.

History

The arsenal was designed in 1839 by Russell Warren and built by Tallman & Bucklin, all of Providence. In the 19th century the arsenal was used as the armory of the

Providence Marine Corps of Artillery The 103rd Field Artillery Regiment (103rd FAR) is a regiment of the United States Army. The only currently existing component is the 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery Regiment (1-103rd FAR), a unit of the Rhode Island National Guard. The reg ...

(PMCA) and associated artillery units in the Rhode Island Militia and was used as the mobilization site for 10 batteries of

light artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, ...

which were raised in Rhode Island during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. In addition to the PMCA the arsenal was used by a number of organizations including the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, I ...

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is an American congressionally chartered fraternal organization that carries out activities to preserve the history and legacy of the United States Armed Forces veterans who fought during the Civil ...

and

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

. The building originally sat one lot south of its current location, where its parking lot is today, but was moved in 1906 when a railroad tunnel was built under that site. In April 1920, the Rhode Island General Assembly earmarked $3,800 for the purpose of repairing the arsenal. On May 17, 1924, the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Ca ...

held an illegal meeting at the arsenal which attracted about 200 men. Governor

William S. Flynn William Smith Flynn (August 14, 1885April 13, 1966) of Providence, Rhode Island was the 54th Governor of Rhode Island from 1923 to 1925. He was a progressive Democrat. Personal life Flynn was born August 14, 1885 in South Providence to James A ...

denounced the KKK and forbade the group from meeting on state property. The building was added to the

on April 28, 1970. In the 1980s the arsenal was in use by the

Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: * Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>*Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communicatio ...

's Education, Historical and Equal Opportunity offices. As of 2008 the arsenal was in use as the location for the annual presentation of the

Order of St. Barbara Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

to soldiers of the 103d Field Artillery Regiment of the Rhode Island National Guard. It also serves as the headquarters of the PMCA (the de facto 103d Field Artillery veterans association) and houses a diverse collection of military artifacts.

Gallery

File:The arsenal, Benefit between Thomas and Meeting streets.jpg, An 1888 engraving of the arsenal File:Providence Marine Corps of Artillery Arsenal improved.jpg, A 1918 sketch of the building File:State Arsenal, Providence Rhode Island.jpg, A 1920 photograph of the arsenal

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island, state=collapsed Government buildings completed in 1839 Infrastructure completed in 1839 Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Russell Warren buildings Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links