Beaufort Arsenal - Beaufort Historic District - Beaufort, SC
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 32° 25.958 W 080° 40.230
17S E 530976 N 3588438
Built in 1795 burnt and shelled by the Union, rebuilt 1851, renovated in 1934 by the WPA.
Waymark Code: WMZNC8
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 12/07/2018
Views: 1
County of arsenal: Beaufort County
Location of arsenal: Craven St., middle of block between Carteret St. & Scott St., N. side, Beaufort
Erected: 1795 - 1851
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
"The outstanding public building in Beaufort is the 1851 Arsenal, a fine
Gothic castellated building, now the Beaufort Museum.
"Revival Styles: Twenty-two buildings were noted in the 1998 survey as being examples of late nineteenth
to early-twentieth century revival styles. These styles typically incorporated elements
of earlier period architecture. Examples are located throughout the district. The Gothic
Revival style is represented by ... and the Beaufort Arsenal (713 Craven Street, 1852, site #906).
"Craven St., 713 - fraternal/patriotic/political: Beaufort Arsenal - 1795 and 1851 - 2-story stucco arsenal, now museum - block 69 - site #906
"To the west, along Craven Street, the Arsenal mentioned in 1805 survives in an enlarged and otherwise
altered condition. Commenced in 1795, the original design incorporated two single-story tabby
block-like buildings linked in linear fashion by a timber framed gun shed left open along its south side
for access. One block accommodated arms, the other gunpowder and the entire assemblage was set in a
compound enclosed by brick or tabby walls. Construction, completed 1779, was entrusted to Col.
Thomas Talbird who, to reduce costs, omitted stucco external finishes from the tabby and substituted
plain roof tiles for glazed ones. Results were disastrous, the building suffering a well documented
history of leaks and deterioration until rebuilt for the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery in 1852 when the gun-shed was demolished and replaced by brick arcades supporting an upper level assembly room.86
The enclosing wall was also re-constructed, the entire complex then being embellished with
crenelations.
"The Beaufort Arsenal (713 Craven Street, site #906), also in the Gothic Revival style, was built in
1852 on the foundations of an earlier arsenal by the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery Company. The
thirteen-bay crenelated main block has a flat roof and lancet windows. Single story wings extend
at right angles to the southeast and southwest and are linked by a high brick wall defining a courtyard.
An arched central doorway in the wall opens onto the courtyard. Construction of the east end
of the main block incorporated the lower level of an original late-eighteenth century tabby arsenal
on the site. The building was enlarged and renovated as part of a 1934 W.P.A. project." ~ NRHP Nomination Form, PDF pages, 6, 31, 44, 90, 157.