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Historical Background of the Arsenal Magazine
Governor Bernardo de Galvez
The existing Powder Magazine was probably built in 1838 and
is the third such structure to stand on this site. The British
constructed Fort Richmond near the present capitol complex
in the 1760's but their defenses failed to deter Governor
Bernardo de Galvez of Spanish Louisiana who captured Baton
Rouge in 1779. Galvez expanded the fortifications and paid
special attention to the powder magazine. After a brief restoration
of French rule in 1800, the United States purchased the Louisiana
Territory in 1803. By 1812, Louisiana had entered the federal
union as the eighteenth state.
In 1819, the United States Army began work on the Pentagon
Barracks and on a new powder magazine. However, it was soon
apparent that the magazine was too small to adequately serve
the garrison and was located too close to the barracks. For
reasons of size and safety, the present powder magazine was
constructed.
General Zachary Taylor
In the late 1830's, General Zachary Taylor commanded the post
at Baton Rouge. Among the officers who served in the garrison
or who visited the fortifications were Robert E. Lee, Jefferson
Davis, William T. Sherman, George B. McClellan, P.G.T. Beauregard,
and Ulysses S. Grant. Baton Rouge and its military compound
served as a major staging area for the Mexican War.
Governor Thomas 0. Moore
Meanwhile, the regional differences between the North and
South reached the breaking point. On January 26, 1861, Louisiana
seceded from the Union. At the direction of Governor Thomas
0. Moore, state militia seized the arsenal. Shortly thereafter,
Louisiana joined the new Confederate States of America, and
the weapons, ammunition, and powder stored in the Baton Rouge
compound was rushed to the embattled Southern armies.
In May, 1862, Union forces recaptured Louisiana's capital
city. U.S. Marines and later, Army troops occupied the arsenal
and the fortifications. In August, a Confederate army under
General John C. Breckinridge tried, but failed to drive the
Union soldiers into the Mississippi River.
After the Civil War, the U.S. Army transferred jurisdiction
of the arsenal from the Ordnance Corps to the Quarter- masters's
Department. Munitions and equipment were shipped to Rock Island,
Illinois. In 1884, the Baton Rouge post was placed under the
control of the U.S. Department of the Interior which, in 1886,
gave the entire property to the Louisiana State University.
The old powder magazine was used for library storage and ago
a barn.
Governor Huey P. Long, developing
his grandiose plans for a new capitol, wanted to demolish
the powder magazine but was dissuaded by Edward McIllhenny
and other prominent citizens of the state. A Similar threat
to the building's existence was later rebuffed by the Manchac
Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution. Since then, the
Arsenal served the needs of the State Police and the National
Guard prior to its most recent incarnation as a museum. Today,
it stands as a sentinel of the past and as a reminder of Louisiana's
great heritage.
Location and Hours of Operation
The museum is located on the grounds adjacent to the new
capitol building on Capitol Lake Drive in downtown Baton Rouge,
and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 4; closed on
Sundays and state holidays.
Admission: Adults ... $1 Children 6-17 ... $.50
Seniors over 60 and Children under 6 ... Free
Chaperons of organized groups ... Free
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