Little Rock Arsenal - Little Rock, Arkansas
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 34° 44.296 W 092° 15.903
15S E 567278 N 3844264
Historical marker giving history of the U.S. Arsenal in Little Rock.
Waymark Code: WM97BD
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 07/08/2010
Views: 5
Text of marker:
The Little Rock Arsenal
Shortly after Arkansas was admitted to the Union in 1836, the Federal government established the Little Rock Arsenal for the storage of munitions and weapons in defense of the frontier. Eventually, more than thirty buildings were constructed on this 36-acre site, including an armory, officers' quarters, barracks for enlisted men and a variety of other buildings necessary for the routine operation of a military post. The existing brick tower building, constructed in 1840, is the arsenal's only remaining structure.
In February 1861,armed citizens threatened to seize the arsenal in anticipation of Arkansas's secession from the Union. A confrontation was averted when authorities negotiated a peaceful compromise with the commander, Captain James Totten, and Federal troops withdrew from Little Rock. After Arkansas seceded in May 1861, Confederate forces used the arsenal until September 11, 1863, when Union troops commanded by General Frederick Steele captured Little Rock.
Renamed the Little Rock Barracks in 1873, the post was used to garrison troops until its closure in 1890. Douglas MacArthur was born in this building on January 26, 1880 while his father was stationed here. In 1892, the Federal government traded the property to the City of Little Rock for 1,000 acres in North Little Rock on which Fort Roots was built. All the structures except the tower building were removed and the arsenal grounds became a city park, later named MacArthur Park in honor of General Douglas MacArthur.