Photo: Related names: Prokrym, Charles A, photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Watervliet Arsenal was set up in 1813, during the War of 1812, to supply the Army along the northern frontier. It has operated ever since, which makes it the oldest continuously active arsenal in the country.
Since the late 1800s its specialty has been gun tubes, the long steel barrels for cannons, tanks and mortars.
How it works
The arsenal is a government-owned, government-operated factory. Its machinists and engineers make barrels for howitzers, tank guns and mortars, along with parts for other weapon systems. Some of the heavy machining equipment is among the largest in the region.
Opening the gates
With much of its floor space unused after the Cold War, the arsenal started leasing buildings to private businesses. Tenants range from manufacturers to offices, and the arrangement brings outside companies and jobs to the site.
The Watervliet Arsenal Museum, in a historic cast-iron storehouse, has been closed to the general public for security reasons, though the arsenal has hosted occasional tours.
For the city of Watervliet, the arsenal is a major employer and one of the reasons the small river city has kept a manufacturing base when many others lost theirs.
