Military West: Remnants of military history in California and Beyond

The Benicia Arsenal Clock Tower. Starting off close to home with one of the earliest military facilities in California, the Benicia Arsenal.   Located on the eastern edge of Benicia, California, the Benicia Arsenal served as the primary West Coast U.S. Army ordnance facility for over a century. The sandstone storehouse shown above was built in 1859 and originally had two towers. In 1912 the building was nearly destroyed by an explosion and it was rebuilt with only the front tower.  In the 24 hours following the attack on Pearl Harbor, 125 trucks were loaded and dispatched from the Benicia Arsenal, completely depleting its supply of small arms, ammunition and high explosives. The arsenal would later supply ordnance for the Doolittle raid on Tokyo launched from the U.S.S. Hornet. During the Korean War, the arsenal's civilian work force reached an all-time high of 6,700 workers. The arsenal was deactivated in 1963 and closed in 1964. The area has been redeveloped as work...