Virginia Manufactory of Arms

On 23 January 1798 the General Assembly enacted legislation calling for the creation of an armory in or near the city of Richmond. Later known as the Virginia Manufactory of Arms, the facility would supply much-needed weapons for militia units throughout the state.

By 1798, leaders throughout Virginia had grown aware that many other states had established armories for the manufacture of weapons for state militia units. Without a state armory, the commonwealth was often forced to order weapons in small quantities from private suppliers. Many of the weapons thus procured were of a questionable quality and were rarely delivered on time. Wary of the growing reliance on foreign providers and small, local armories to obtain weapons, the General Assembly recognized the importance of constructing a state armory and manufacturing a suitable supply of arms for soldiers and militia.

John Clarke of Powhatan County was chosen to oversee the construction and operation of the armory. Hindered by numerous delays, it was not completed for several years. The production of arms at the facility began in January of 1803, but was suspended by the legislature in 1821. By that point, an extensive supply of weapons produced by the armory, supplemented by arms provided by the federal government, rendered the manufacture of additional armaments unnecessary. However, during its relatively short existence the Virginia Manufactory of Arms was able to produce sufficient arms to equip well the militia of the commonwealth.