Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building
|
|
 Location in Arkansas
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 6415 Spellman Rd, East Camden, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
| Built | c.1945 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002449 |
| Added to NRHP | May 21, 2018 |
The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot was a special factory where the United States Navy made and stored weapons and missiles. It was located in southern Arkansas, across parts of Calhoun and Ouachita counties.
This important facility operated from 1945 to 1957. During that time, it produced weapons like the Sidewinder missile. After it closed, the land was sold in 1961. Today, part of the original site is home to Southern Arkansas University Tech. Two of its old buildings, the 500-Man Barracks and the Administration Building, are now recognized as historic places. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
When the depot was first built, it was planned to be very large, covering about 110 square miles. It was meant to be the main place for loading, assembling, and storing rockets for the United States. The plan was for about 5,000 people to work there permanently.
The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot was one of several inland facilities the Navy used for making and storing weapons. Other similar plants were located in different states:
- Naval Ammunition Depot, Crane in Burns City, Indiana
- McAlester Naval Depot in McAlester, Oklahoma
- Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot in Hawthorne, Nevada
