The Beaufort Arsenal Museum is
located on 713 Craven Street in Beaufort, South Carolina. Many
relics of nature, war and early industry are housed there. Once an
arsenal, this building was constructed in 1798 of brick and tabby.
Construction of the
Beaufort Arsenal was begun in 1795 and was completed by 1799.
Construction was entrusted to Col. Thomas Talbird. The building had
deteriorated substantially by 1852, when the Beaufort Volunteer
Artillery Company rebuilt the complex "on the foundation of the old
Arsenal a building capable of accommodating a garrison of 250 men
and a battery of six guns." The Beaufort Volunteer Artillery was
organized in April, 1775 and is the fifth oldest military unit in
the United States.
It has taken part in
every war fought by this nation, including the Revolutionary War.
For years it was housed in or connected with the Beaufort Arsenal.
The building was enlarged and renovated in a 1934 WPA project. The
Beaufort Museum occupied one of the wings and the National Guard
occupied the main building. The city-owned Beaufort Museum now
occupies the entire site. The two brass trophy guns in the yard were
captured from the British in 1779 and seized by Union soldiers at
the fall of Fort Walker in 1861. They were returned to Beaufort
after 1880.
The Beaufort Arsenal was
the home of the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery, which traced its
formation to an earlier company organized in 1776 and served in the
Revolutionary War. The BVA was stationed at Fort Beauregard during
the Battle of Port Royal on November 7, 1861. The hours of operation
are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 10am to 5pm,
closed on Wednesday and Sunday.
Call 843-525-7077 for more
information. |