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The Frankford Arsenal is a
former United States Army
ammunition plant located
adjacent to the Bridesburg
neighborhood of Northeast
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
north of the original course
of Frankford Creek.
Opened in 1816 on 20 acres
(8.1 ha) of land purchased
by President James Madison,
it was the center of U.S.
military small-arms
ammunition design and
development until its closure
in 1977. Among the many
other products manufactured
at the arsenal were fire-
control and range-finding
instruments, and gauges for
these components.[3]
With the outbreak of the Civil
War, the arsenal's
commander, Josiah Gorgas,
resigned and joined the
Confederate States Army in
deference to the wishes of
his Alabama-born wife and
reported to the Confederate
capital in Richmond with a
large supply of U.S. Army
guns and ammunition. By
the end of the war, the
arsenal employed over 1,000
workers. It served as a
major site for the storage of
weapons and artillery pieces;
a depot for the repair of
artillery, cavalry and infantry
equipment; repair and
cleaning of small arms and
harnesses; the manufacture
of percussion powder and
Minié balls; and the testing
of new forms of gunpowder
and time fuses. During the
Gettysburg Campaign, the
arsenal provided tens of
thousands of muskets and
vast supplies of ammunition
for
Pennsylvania's "Emergency
Militia" regiments. Among
the innovations extensively
tested at the Arsenal was the
Gatling Gun, an early form of
machine gun that saw
extensive service in the
Indian Wars.
During World War I and
World War II, the arsenal
was again busy with
supplying the war efforts,
providing a major source of
jobs and income for the
region. At times,
employment reached 22,000.
The Frankford Arsenal was
an entity unto itself, a virtual
city within a city, and
contained everything from its
own police and fire
departments, dining halls,
motor pool, and a complete
medical facility. The Arsenal
was part of the U.S. Arsenal
System -- dedicated military
establishments spread
throughout the country to
perform specific military
missions for the Government.
From the beginning, the
Frankford Arsenal was
involved in the design and
manufacture of munitions. As
military weapons became
more complex, the Center's
role expanded to cover the
development of a whole
range of the Army's more
advanced weapon systems.
The Arsenal contained the
world-famous Pitman-Dunn
Laboratories along with a
number of other R&D
departments. Arsenal
scientists and engineers
designed and developed
everything from basic
materials to LASER guided
ballistics, all produced
entirely in-house from the
concept phase to the fielding
of the equipment. New
portable and imbedded
computer applications saw
the development of the
LASER rangefinder, fielded
artillery computational
machines (FADAC) and radar
systems. During the Vietnam
War, experiments in caseless
ammunition, far-infrared low-
light-level technologies, and
advanced LASER applications
were under development.
The labs were supported by
a full range of first-class
drafting and machine shops
scattered throughout the
many buildings of the
Center. Everything from
milling, to electroplating, to
multi-layer printed circuit
board fabrication could be
accomplished by “The
Shops”. The Optical Lens
Design Facility was one of
the finest in the country. The
Optical Assembly shop also
refurbished field binoculars.
Once a newly designed
system was manufactured,
complete structural and
environmental testing was
necessary to insure that the
device could withstand the
rigors of a fielded
environment. This was
accomplished in the Arsenal’s
environmental testing and
evaluation facility.
As the U.S. military-
industrial complex grew, the
Arsenal could no longer
compete as a manufacturing
entity. More and more of its
programs were farmed out to
industry. The Arsenal’s
functions were eventually
transferred to the Picatinny
Arsenal in New Jersey.
During the presidential
campaign of 1976, vice
presidential candidate Walter
Mondale stood in front of the
Frankford Arsenal and
promised that it would
remain open. The
Carter/Mondale ticket won
the election but the promise
was not fulfilled; the arsenal
closed for U.S. government
use in 1977.
Before closing, many custom
designs were developed and
tested, including the use of
aluminum and steel for the
manufacture of cartridge
cases.
The northernmost part of the
site was assumed by the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission for use as a
boat ramp and fishing spot
on the Delaware River. The
southernmost part is
currently being used as a
light-industrial and office
park.
