Schuylkill Arsenal
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Supplies for the Lewis & Clark Expedition (1803-1806), bought in Philadelphia by Meriwether Lewis, were stored and shipped to Pittsburgh from here in preparation for the journey's start. Supplied military goods for Civil War, WWI and WWII. Built 1802-1806. Razed 1963.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
The Schuylkill Arsenal, built in the early 1800s, was where Meriwether Lewis gathered and stored the supplies he purchased in Philadelphia before shipping them west to Pittsburgh for the start of his great expedition. For more than a century afterward the arsenal outfitted American soldiers, supplying military goods through the Civil War and both World Wars. It stood until 1963, when it was finally razed.
Why it matters
From the launch of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the wars of the 20th century, this depot quietly provisioned the American enterprise of exploration and arms for over 150 years.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Bridgette Mayer1.9 mi away · 709 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Congress Hall2.0 mi away · Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Hall2.1 mi away · 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bell Center2.1 mi away · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Hill-Physick House2.1 mi away · 321 South 4th Street
- African American Museum in Philadelphia2.1 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- One Liberty Observation Deck1.3 mi away
- The Universal Sphere1.4 mi away
- Italian market1.6 mi away · Christian Street
- Rocky Steps1.7 mi away
- Reading Terminal1.8 mi away
- American Bandstand1.8 mi away
Food & drink
- Talula's Garden1.9 mi away · 210 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Talula's Daily1.9 mi away · 208 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Fat Salmon1.9 mi away · 719 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Munchie’s Cafe1.9 mi away · 728 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Maya's Pizza & Grill1.9 mi away · 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Philly Pretzel Factory1.9 mi away
Places to stay
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City1.3 mi away · 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown - Center City1.4 mi away · 219 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fairfield Inn & Suites1.4 mi away · 261 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Holiday Inn Express1.5 mi away · 1305-11 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Alexander Inn1.5 mi away · 301 301 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Philadelphia, PA
- Residence Inn Philadelphia Center City1.6 mi away · 1 East Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA
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Related people
- · Meriwether Lewis
Related events
- · Lewis and Clark Expedition
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2003
With William Clark, Meriwether Lewis led the transcontinental expedition of 1803–1806 that opened the newly purchased Louisiana Territory to American knowledge. Philadelphia, then the young nation's scientific capital, was where Lewis prepared for the journey and where he later deposited many of its precious specimens, journals, and artifacts. The city's naturalists and institutions helped translate the expedition's discoveries into lasting science.
Robert Patterson (1743-1824)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
Robert Patterson chaired mathematics and served as vice-provost at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1800s, a respected man of science in the young republic. In 1803 he tutored Meriwether Lewis in the celestial navigation and surveying skills the explorer would need to chart the unknown West. From this home Patterson helped equip the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the mathematical tools of discovery.
Caspar Wistar (1761-1818)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2000
Caspar Wistar, one of early America's most respected physicians, lived here while serving as professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania and president of both the American Philosophical Society and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. In 1803, at Thomas Jefferson's behest, he tutored Meriwether Lewis in medicine and paleontology to prepare him for the Corps of Discovery's journey west. Wistar moved easily among the scientific, medical, and reform circles of the young republic.
Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
Benjamin Smith Barton was among early America's foremost men of science, a physician and University of Pennsylvania professor who wrote the first botany textbook published in the United States. In 1803, at the request of the expedition's planners, he tutored Meriwether Lewis in natural history to prepare him to observe and record the plants, animals, and peoples of the West. From this Philadelphia home he stood at the crossroads of American medicine, natural science, and continental exploration.