Fort McClellan Ammunition Storage Area, Second Avenue (Magazine Road), Anniston

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AL-988. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Ammunition Storage Area of Fort McClellan represents two eras of building design. Buildings and are standard field depot magazines built in while Buildings and are igloos dating to Both sets of buildings provide information on the evolution and technology of safe ammunition storage between the World Wars. The buildings in particular afford a case study of a developing technology as they are early examples of igloo magazines. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 2) PART

Historical Information

Fort McOellan: Chronology and Post Plan The marvel of the cantonments of was not that a grateful Republic gave to its conscripted soldiers the conveniences of existence enjoyed by all urban communities, but that it provided them in such short time. Ninety days after the first spade struck into the ground the cantonments were ready to receive two-thirds of their men ... 2 Fort McClellan was a camp. It offered not only an array of "conveniences of existence" to the World War I soldier that stood in stark contrast to the material comforts available to the soldier of earlier wars but the rapidity of its construction placed it in the realm of the marvelous. The events of followed one another without pause. War was declared on Germany on April 6. The Selective Service Bill was passed on May 18.

The Cantonment Division, formed from the Construction and Repair Division of the Quartermaster General's Office, was established on May As President Wilson had maintained a neutral stance, refusing to commence military planning even after the breaking of diplomatic ties with Berlin in February of no plans had been prepared for mobilization. The Cantonment Division Office, thus, was in the center of a maelstrom. A visitor to the office described this pandemonium. "There were a couple of Army officers and stenographers . . . Every contractor in the country was here. All those men did,was to stand in front of the desk and shake hands all day. Paper was stacked high on the desk and there was confusion galore." 3 The Army officers who handled the division initially were Colonel Isaac W.

Littell and his assistants, Captain William H. Oury and Captain Richard C. Marshall, Jr. However, the staff grew exponentially within the first week of its establishment, embracing both military and civilian experts as workers. The government mandate for this new division was simple in wording- to have 32 divisional camps ready by September 1. Camp McClellan was one of the chosen 32, a National Guard cantonment able to handle soldiers. It would be the first Southern installation named in honor of not just any Northerner, but worse, the commander of the Union forces between 1861and1862. 4 This challenge to Southern sensibilities was transcended in light of the economic boost the camp would inject into the town of Anniston in Calhoun County, Alabama.

Anniston, built by the Woodstock Iron Company and known as the "the Model City" of the New South, was ready for this infusion after the depression of the After World War I ended, the military contracted in size and, accordingly, the early camps were no longer used. Neglect was followed by decay to the extent that the 2Benedict Crowell, America's Munitions, (Washington, DC: U.S. War Office, 3Lenore Fine, and Jesse A. Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States". In The United States Army in World War II. (Washington, DC: The Technical Services. Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 7. 4 "Fifth Army Poster," Atlanta Journal, April FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 3) condition of the military reservations became a "national disgrace," propelling the government to action. Secretary of War John Weeks launched a long-range building program to alleviate the problem and legislation was enacted to replace temporary structures with permanent buildings.s Much of this work was undertaken during the Depression and channeled into relief programs designed to reduce unemployment. Camp McClellan was afforded permanent status in and appropriations were made to transform the camp into a Regular Army training post able to accommodate a summer encampment of men. Funds were also allotted to construct permanent buildings befitting this new status.

The permanent buildings constructed and the manner in which they were laid-out would be as representative of their time as the buildings of were of theirs. The improvements undertaken in the reached outside traditional military standards and responded to innovations in the disciplines of urban planning, domestic engineering, landscaping and architectural design. The improvements of the would earn the fort the reputation of a "military showplace of the South". The objective of this section is to present a context for this change and to provide a chronology for the overall construction of the base.

The permanent buildings and the manner in which they were laid-out were essentially grafted upon a site plan and design that was brought into reality in the haste of For this reason, the initial construction and early years at Camp McClellan are discussed fully in the first section, setting the stage for the changes of the The second section deals with the newly named Fort McClellan and its evolution into a permanent installation spanning the years between through World War II. Finally, the last section presents information on the Fort and its evolution from the through the present. Company ToWn, Public City: Camp McClellan The twentieth-century history of Fort McClellan and Anniston, Alabama, were inextricably linked. Anniston had its genesis as a company town.

It was built by the Woodstock Iron Company under the direction of Samuel Noble of Rome, Georgia and General Daniel Tyler, a wealthy industrialist from Connecticut. Noble and Tyler had set out to establish a "model city," a progressive Southern town structured by industry. Period descriptions, particularly in newspapers, note that the town was a shining example of the New South, and that if successful, could rival and perhaps outstrip other Southern cities such as Atlanta and Birmingham. Up until the town was privately owned and even after the town was opened up, the Woodstock Company still subsidized some city services. Anniston enjoyed growth and prosperity until the panic of struck, followed by a depression.

A "stone of business adversity has fallen upon Anniston, crushing it" commented one visitor, who further described the town as a "sepulcher of disappointed hopes." 6 As a community, Anniston reacted vigorously to the depression by beginning to look for ways to enliven its economy and revive the growth of previous years. In the military provided an answer. Although the Spanish-American War ended in August of a peace agreement had not been reached. In the event that hostilities might begin anew, the 5 American Public Works Administration, History of Public Works in the United States, ed. Ellis L.

Arrnstron (Chicago, II: American Public Works Association, 6crace Hooten Gates, The Model City of the New South: Anniston, Alabama (Huntsville, Al: Strode Publishers, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 4) United States Army decided to maintain a reserve force. A site in Alabama was a likely choice as Mobile was the port of departure for service in Cuba. Anniston's candidacy was based upon its rail connections to Mobile, the healthy climate and organization of the model city, and, perhaps most importantly, the political pressure applied by Annistonians on influential members of Congress.

Anniston was selected and Camp Shipp was established north of town on Blue Mountain.7 Troops began to be discharged or transferred at the close of the war in January and with the closing of the hospital in March, the camp was phased out. Anniston returned its attention to industry, although iron making was no longer in its industrial repertoire, having been replaced by textile manufacturing and pipe making. However, this early encounter with the military was pivotal in Anniston's later courtship of the United States Army for a National Guard camp in Nineteen twelve marked the return of Anniston's interest in the military. In that year, Fred L. Blackmon, Congressman from Alabama's Fourth district, visited an artillery range in Tennessee.

Impressed by what he saw, Blackmon recognized the potential of the Choccolocco Mountains for artillery training and began to make advances toward the War Department to spur interest in the hills of Alabama. Twenty thousand National Guardsmen were brought to the valley for maneuvers in response to Blackman's urging. General Albert L. Mills, president of the Army War College, and his staff, which included Major Charles P. Summerall, the head of the Artillery Bureau of the War College, were also part of the entourage sent to measure the utility of the area for the Army's needs. Summerall was enthusiastic about the adaptability of the terrain for artillery training and became an advocate for the purchase of land8.

Over the next four years other government experts would visit the area to evaluate its possibilities until when the Federal Government decided to purchase property north of Anniston as a range. The agency that orchestrated the acquisition was the Anniston Chamber of Commerce under the direction of John B. Carrington, president and L. C. Watson, secretary. Three appropriations totaling were made and the contract called for the purchase of acres. The acquisition was completed on March 17, and farmers were allowed to work their fields through the summer as there was no immediate need for their land.9 The manner in which the camp was chosen resonates Anniston's earlier experience with the military during the Spanish-American War.

A key factor in the success of Anniston's proposal was the cohesive manner in which they approached the military. The town acted as a harmonious economic unit, much as the company town would have worked. National Guard Camp, World War I While Anniston's candidacy for a military installation predates it was the events of that year which compelled the construction of a National Guard camp. After the order to construct 32 divisional cantonments was issued on May a number of civilians came to Washington to volunteer their services. This cadre of men ranged in 7Jbid. 8Major Mary C., Lane, WAC The History of Fort McClellan., (Anniston 2. 9Jbid., 3. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 5) talent from well-to-do industrialists and construction experts to designers of water and sewerage systems and landscape architects. William Starrett, president of Starrett and Van Vleck, a New York based architectural company; Morton C. Tuttle, general manager of the Aberthaw Construction Company of Boston; Clemens W. Lundoff, vice-president of Crowell, Lundoff, and Little of Cleveland; and Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. comprised the Committee on Emergency Construction, with Starrett as chair. Leonard Metcalf lent his knowledge on water and sewerage design, while George W. Fuller and Asa E. Phillips were combined as a subcommittee on engineering.

The first act of the committee was to extricate Colonel Littell from the War Department and to establish the newly formed Cantonment Division under his care. After some discussion, the Starrett committee then set up a building program: With the aid of Fuller, Metcalf, and Phillips, Major Gunby would prepare typical plans and layouts. Major Whitson, as construction manager, would direct the field forces, while six assistant managers, one for each Army department, would follow day- to-day operations at the job sites; six traveling supervisors would patrol the projects, watching for signs of trouble and giving on-the-spot help. Major Hamilton would procure all building materials, maintaining close contact with the various supply committees of the Munitions Board.

Accountants, both in Washington and in the field, would check expenditures. In direct charge of each of the thirty-two cantonments would be a Constructing Quartermaster who would have a staff of engineers, draftsmen, auditors, inspectors, and checkers to assist him. On 22 May the plan went to Littell. Two days later he approved it.10 Many more intricacies were involved in the mobilization effort, particularly contracting. To date, only competitive bidding on fixed price contracts had been allowed by law. Such an agreement was untenable given the time frame and the type of work which needed to be accomplished. Since there were no completed plans or specifications to bid on, another alternative was sought to expedite the emergency situation.

The "cost plus with sliding scale and fixed maximum fee" contract was perceived as the answer, as it allowed construction to begin immediately without completed plans and also left possible alterations within the scope of work should changes be needed.11 With the above provisos, the Cantonment Division was in operation. Wood construction was allowed for the 16 National Army camps while canvas tentage was chosen for the National Guard camps. This decision was made on the basis that after training, the National Guard would be sent to France, so the tent camps would be less expensive to construct and more representative of their impermanent nature. A model barrack building had been drawn and two camp plans devised.

The two configurations chosen for the plans were the straight line and the U-shaped layout. Accordine to Crowell, 12 a town planner adapted either of these plans to suit the local topography for each camp. The sites that were chosen in and the costs involved in their construction are cited in Fine and Remington. 13 Camp McClellan had the highest lOFine and Remington,"The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States,"10. 11 Jbid., 11. 12crowell, America's Munitions, l3fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 16. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 6) per capita cost of the National Guard Camps, which were virtually confined to the Southeast and western United States with the exception of Camp Doniphen (later Fort Sill). Charles L. Dulin was the Constructing Quartermaster placed in charge of Camp McClellan. His Completion Report of Camp McClellan, Anniston, Alabama14 gives a terse but well-written account of his labor in the Choccolocco Valley. Dulin arrived in Anniston in June of under orders to build a machine gun camp to accommodate six machine gun companies. In July, he received additional orders.

A telegram from the Officer in Charge of Cantonment Construction informed him that Morris Knowles, Incorporated was appointed Supervising Engineers of a new camp to be built at Anniston, and that their representative, Maurice R. Scharff, was en route. Upon arrival, Scharff advised Dulin that he (Dulin) had been appointed Constructing Quartermaster for the camp and that Scharff was carrying plans and instructions to build the camp. Dulin immediately apprised the Chamber of Commerce that the government wanted immediate ownership of a large portion of the land involved in the contract. The immediacy of the demand affected the original purchase agreement which had allowed farmers to cultivate their land through the year.

The crops lost were valued at and the Chamber of Commerce underwrote the difference. This debt would not be absolved until through a prodigious effort by the community. Dulin chose the site of the new camp after completing a survey of the reservation located primarily within Township 15 South and Range 8 and a small portion in Range Three major roads traversed the camp. Leaving Anniston, Rocky Hollow Road crossed Blue Mountain and intersected with Bain Gap Road in the center of the camp. Bain Gap Road. led eastward over the Choccolocco Mountains. The third road, which crosses the northwestern sector of the reservation and lead to Jacksonville, is unnamed on the maps. In addition to these, unimproved roads are denoted, particularly in the northwest portion of the reservation.

This area, known locally as Dark Comer, contained fairly level terrain in comparison to the remainder of the camp. Cane Creek and its tributaries, Cave and Carrot Creeks, course through it, flowing in a south, east, and southeasterly direction. The Choccolocco Mountains, which cup the remainder of the reservation, stop their flow. Land use prior to the federal occupation was mostly agricultural, and as the topographic shows, no small villages or towns were displaced by the new camp. Dulin's choice for the camp's location in the northwestern quadrant of the reservation was predicated on topography and geography. The northwest comer was fairly level, well drained, and was connected by roads already in place leading to Anniston and Jacksonville.

This area was also closest to the tracks of the Southern Railway. Eschewing the rigidity of a grid but adhering loosely to a linear format, Dulin16 began to lay out the division camp between the forks of Cane Creek and along the creek terraces. 14charles L. Dulin, Completion Report of Camp McClellan, Anniston, Alabama, Issued Dec. 10, National Archives, Military Branch, Suitland, Md, 15Jbid., 1. l6Jbid. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 7) The post was laid out in 26 blocks designated as areas, each performing a specific function and containing a set number of buildings. The layout of the buildings within each block, particularly those devoted to housing the Infantry units, was highly regimented.

Barrack-like buildings (mess halls) were placed with uniform precision in the front of the blocks with latrines and showers located at some distance (approximately 800 feet) to the rear, strategically placed near the creeks. Those blocks or areas designated for the infantry were composed of 13 long, narrow buildings and three shorter buildings. All 16 were aligned along a frontage which was then hooked via an unimproved street with a second block which reprised the plan of its neighbor. In almost building block fashion, the blocks or areas were tied into an overall plan reflective of neither a straight line or a U-shape. Instead, the positioning of the "blocks" appears to have been dependent on the most advantageous way to use the creeks which coursed through the site.

Angles and bends join the blocks in a somewhat linear pattern. The overall configuration suggests that a linear plan was perhaps the desired effect but that topographical features and creeks really determined the final outcome. Certainly, the lack of regularity in overall plan was compensated for within the blocks. In addition to the creeks, the need for a railroad spur to enable easy access for supplies and incoming soldiers also posed design problems. Colonel Dulin and Maurice Scharff chose to layout the tracks as an arc. The arc lead from the Southern Railway in a southeastern direction, crossed two creeks, and curved to the north dividing the camp.

MajorJames Ulio, the new Division Adjutant for the Infantry Division, wrote out the first General Orders for the camp sitting on a box in a vacated bungalow. In those orders, Major General Charles G. Morton was to have command over the division, which was itself newly formed of troops from New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The first arrived late in August. The troops and their commander were formally welcomed to Anniston. By November, all officers and enlisted men of the division, totaling individuals, had arrived.17 Draftees arrived later.

In Morton's own words, it took "a generous stretch of the imaBnation to see in this beginning the magnificent fighting unit which was to form later." The Division remained at Camp McClellan until June when orders arrived sending the troops to France. The division would take heavy casualties in the Meuse-Argonne offensive and returned stateside in May It was deactivated in that month.19 Other troops were also trained at the camp during World War I. In October of 190 officers and men from the 1st Separate Negro Company of Maryland arrived at the camp from Pittsburgh. In addition to this group, the 6th Division, Depot Brigade, and Training Battalions, and the and 3rd Development Regiments were all trained at Camp McClellan during World War I.

Three historic maps impart information on the camp. A map showing the General Location of U.S. Reservation and Vicinity shows the camp and the surrounding geography. A number of features are shown, such as the Aviation Field, the 17Jbid., 18Jbid., 7. 19Jbid., 9 FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 8) Machine Gun and Rifle Ranges, Remount Depot, the Camp Sewerage Plant, and the Machine Gun Camp. Three springs, Wellborne, Box, and Reeves-Truitt, are shown within the camp's boundaries. The brick road, built under Dulin's direction, is shown stretching from Anniston to the camp. The Magazine Area was located in 15 South, Range 8, northwest quadrant of Section 14, just south of the Machine Gun and Rifle Ranges.

While the General Location map deals with the camp and its environs, the "General Topographical and Location Map" offers greater detail about the plan and makeup of the new community. While the building blocks of are still visible, the camp is considerably more crowded. By February of buildings had been constructed at the division camp, 118 buildings associated with the base hospital, 28 built by military organizations, and 16 built by societies. Six magazines or ammunition storage buildings were built by this date. The area which was once open between the block areas is laced with streets which are rarely straight in configuration and bear names pr~sidential or military in character. An effort to rechannel the creeks is also apparent.

In two areas reference is made to old creek beds (west of Areas 23 and 24) andthe creeks are now labeled "canals." Nineteen twenty witnessed strong debate within the federal government as to the propriety of some of the decisions made by the Starrett committee. This debate fueled thought as to how military construction should he conducted and under which department's direction. The Corps of Engineers, the Construction Division of the Army and the Quartermaster's Corps were all candidates for what had finally become recognized as ~ vital part of mobilization. The latter was chosen as the most proper supervisory authority in June and the Construction Division of the Army was dissolved.

Fine and Remington, the authors of the history of the Corps of Engineers, aptly call the "the lean years." The incredible expansion of the previous decade was truncated, particularly during the Harding administration. For example, a price ceiling of was placed on any expenditure for any building, military post, or grounds; permanent construction was discouraged; and maintenance on a reduced budget became the Quartermaster Corps primary mission. 20 Fort McClellan The future of the military posts of World War I rested in the hands of Secretary of War John W. Weeks. Weeks placed nine of the camps and cantonments on caretaking status, to be used as training areas for the nine corps areas. Camp McClellan, slated to be used by the Fourth Corps Area, was one of the nine.

The stringency of the cutbacks were appropriate to the mood of the Twenties. The war was over and, with it, the need for a standing army. The mood of the public began to swing in the opposite direction. However, by the mid articles on the condition of the posts were published in the New York Times, Outlook and the Literary Digest. Essentially, the moneys allowed for the upkeep of the posts was not sufficient and the World War I camps began to fall into disrepair. When the Chief of Engineers, General Beach, commented on housing at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in his words captured the overall dilemma: 20Fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 44. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 9) Present temporary buildings are rapidly approaching the end of their usefulness as habitable shelter. Maintenance cost by constant repair is prohibitive. Considering the dilapidated condition of these buildings, money spent for repairs, while an immediate necessity, is beyond a doubt uneconomical and each year of delayed replacement by permanent construction adds to what is considered a waste of Government funds.21 Secretary of War Weeks submitted to Congress a long-range plan to alleviate the problem in His plan required an expenditure of million over a ten year period on permanent barracks, quarters, and hospitals and on updating water and sewerage systems.

Adequate heating and the addition of cold storage plants would also be part of this reform and if funding was available, utilitarian buildings would follow. Congress answered in with the largest appropriation since the war. Fourteen million dollars was allotted to the barracks and quarters fund, between and was put aside for hospital construction and repair, and a five year air expansio1:1 program was passed. 22 Major General B. Frank Cheatham, the Quartermaster General, enthusiastically began to define a new course of post development under the Housing Program of the Army. In his words, the new posts would be a "deviation from the set type of military post."23 His first move was to assemble a coterie of noted architects, such as Lieutenant Colonel Francis B. Wheaton, Luther M.

Leisenring, and 1st Lieutenant Howard B. Nurse, as well as other professionals in the field of architecture, to develop plans for the permanent buildings. These men were able to produce designs that could be cast in regional styles appropriate to the venue in which they were to be built. Thus, the Georgian style was considered appropriate for installations on the Atlantic seaboard, French Provincial for Louisiana posts, while Spanish mission was chosen for the Southwest. Coherence in plan was achieved through advice provided by nationally- recognized city planners such as George B.

Ford, who was culled from the ranks of the American Institute of Architects to act as a consultant to the War Department.24 The progress was applauded by all and its success can be at least partially measured by the volume of funding, million, that the Construction Service was appropriated by Congress between and The Ten Year Expansion, Fort McClellan, no longer Camp McClellan by authority of a War Department Order, was part of this new wave in post development. It was now considered a permanent installation and General Charles P. Summerall, head of the Citadel in Charleston and the Chief of Staff of the Army between officiated 21 Jbid., 46. 22Jbid. I 23Jbid. 48. I 24Robinson W. Fisher and Christine Johnson, Historic Building Survey, Fort Benning, Georgia, submitted to U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, submitted by Robert Fisher Associates in association with Southeastern Archeological Services,1987, 17. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 10) at the ceremonies. Summerall had a special rapport with the camp having negotiated its purchase in when he was head of the Artillery Training at the War College.

The order spelled out that Fort McClellan would be a Regular Army post for one regiment of Infantry officers and enlisted men), and would have a standard layout for a summer camp which would have a capacity of civilian trainees.25 If General Summerall was influential in attaining permanency for the camp, the Housing Program, initially under the aegis of Major General Cheathem and his staff, was pivotal in making that status manifest at Fort McClellan. Appropriations in the amount of were made to construct Infantry Barracks for 399 men in during the program's heyday. Three buildings resulted and all were completed in February Quarters for officers and non-commissioned officers followed the construction of the Infantry Barracks.

Through million was expended by the government to construct mess halls, warehouses, hospital buildings, garages and improvements to the National Guard Training Area.26 No improvements, however, were made to the Magazine Area during this time. Despite the success the permanent buildings enjoyed, the intensity of the Depression halted further progress. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in monies set aside under the Emergency Relief and Construction Act, approved on July 21, were impounded and military spending curtailed. The New Deal president launched two programs, the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration (PWA), to help stem unemployment.

The monies diverted from military c,onstruction were then funneled into these programs which, in turn, created and sustained work for the Construction Division. The Construction Division was first asked to build CCC camps at a pace likened to Secondly and most important, million was accorded to military construction from the PWA funds. The improvements made with the PWA funds ranged from a chapel at Fort Meade to extensive construction at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Military construction also benefited from monies provided through the Civil Works Administration (CWA), which was created in Manual labor was utilized at over 250 military posts to correct drainage or grade.27 This program and the later Federal Works Administration and Works Progress Administration would create jobs, many of which benefited construction at military posts across the United States. The change from a fairly well-funded housing program to assistance channeled through New Deal social programs is well documented at Fort McClellan. From through funding from federally assisted programs was used to construct a number of permanent buildings and post improvements. Lane states that a total of was spent in in and in under the relief program.

28 While initial permanent construction focused on housing, the projects undertaken during the that were funded by relief programs ran the gamut from quarters to a 25Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 11. 26Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 12. 27Fine and Remington,"The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States." 28Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 12. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 11) coal trestle. Specifically, more quarters were provided for both officer's and non commissioned officers, in addition to an enlisted men's barracks, a fire station and guard house, truck park and repair shop.

In and 37, WPA workers are credited with the construction of the Enlisted Men's Service Club, the gymnasium, assembly hall auditorium (Hutchinson Hall or Post Theater No.1), the main post exchange, the officer's club (Remington Hall), Silver Chapel, stables, wagon sheds, the regimental garage and vehicle shop, a bakery, three additional warehouses, the Quartermaster utility shop and office building, an ordnance magazine, a railroad spur, a coal trestle and yard, a gasoline storage system, a sewage disposal plant, a concrete reservoir and booster station, new roads, street lighting, a perimeter fence, a target range, and other public utilities.

Lane estimates that were channeled through the WPA for new construction at Fort McClellan during that two year period and notes an additional was expended on street improvements, additional buildings, the construction of Reilly Field, a golf course and landscaping in A General Map of the fort showed the situation of the new buildings. Like the camp, a grid arrangement was notoriously absent. Streets and occupation areas conformed to the topography. To an extent, the camp was a "new and improved" version of Colonel Dulin and Maurice Scharff's work. The Post Garrison were the users of the updated installation.

The men of the Infantry Regiment were responsible for the training of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) units, units within the Organized Reserve Corps, the annual encampment of the Infantry Division (National Guard from Alabama), and for maintaining headquarters for District "D" of the Civilian Conservation Corps The latter organization was in charge of supervising 45 CCC camps in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida.30 Buildings related to CCC activity at Fort McClellan are shown on the map of the Fort and street names, such as ROTC Road and National Guard Road, indicate the presence of these groups. The Infantry Regiment continued in the role of Post Garrison until when it was ordered to Fort Benning.

The Fifth Division, or "Red Diamond" Division, was also stationed at Fort McClellan, albeit for winter training in The mechanized division would only winter at McClellan, engaged in intensive training during its stay. World War II Camp The witnessed a second boom period for Fort McClellan directly hinged to world affairs. Japan's expansionism was legion, France had fallen to Germany, and Great Britain was vulnerable. Delays in beginning mobilization evaporated as Roosevelt began taking steps in preparing for war. One hundred seventy-five million dollars were accorded to beefing up coastal defense works, updating arsenals, expanding existing military installations, and creating new posts.

The Selective Service Bill of was passed on the condition that the draft would commence once proper arrangements were made for the draftees in terms of housing, sanitation, and medical care.31 Thus the need 29Jbid.1, 30/bid., 13. 31American Public Works Administration, History of Public Works in the United States, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 12) to house men, particularly draftees, was foremost and was needed proverbially "yesterday": The original timetable for housing Guardsmen and selectees was a construction man's nightmare. The schedule for the Guard camps was particularly rigorous. Counting from 9 September, the day appropriations became available, Hartman had from one week to three months to ready camps for the Guard divisions.

Regulars and Guardsmen could rough it for a time, using field tents and latrines. But, Congress made it dear, draftees could not. Snug barracks, toilets, showers, heating, and electric lights would have to be available when they arrived. In other words, camps would have to be virtually completed.32 Hence, a new era in "best practice" in caring for America's military had arrived much like the progress garnered during World War I, and immediacy was once again key. The first camps to be prepared within this "construction man's nightmare" were Forts Jackson, Lewis, Dix and Sill.

McClellan was placed within the second tier of forts to be ready by October 15, Many of the 18 sites were newly selected, unlike McClellan whose military association dated to For the new camps, "typicals" were used to formulate layout. The typicals were a codification of prior experience in eamp layout, as well as current improvements in design published by the Quartermaster's office. Architects and engineers would then work to suit the typical to local conditions: Incomplete and tentative, the typicals nevertheless served as good working guides. From them the engineers quickly ascertained the Army's principal requirements. Every unit, large and small, would remain intact. Companies would be grouped into battalions and battalions onto regiments.

Regimental areas would adjoin a central parade ground. Hospitals would be in isolated spots, away from noise and dirt. Storage depots and motor parks would be near railway sidings or along main roads. To prevent the spread of fire, one-story buildings would be at least 40 feet apart; two story buildings, 50 ... Showing grid platted streets and straight rows of buildings, the typicals envisaged a quadrangular arrangement. 33 The typicals were widely changed to suit local conditions and also to suit the dictums of the Corps area commanders. The typicals were probably also helpful to planners involved with expanding older posts such as Fort McClellan.

A "Master Plan" dating to shows the World War II expansion of the main base area since The map shows the careful evolution of functional areas, namely the Post Headquarters, Warehouse, Hospital, Railhead, and Magazine Areas. The areas which housed the troops remained situated as they were in albeit with more buildings. As discussed in the quote above, units remained intact within their separate camps; these areas are denoted numerically as 10, 12, 13, 5, 6, 8, and Their autonomy was insured by the presence of adjacent mess halls, service clubs, and 32Fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 33Jbid., FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 13) theaters.

The sewage disposal plant, incinerators, post dump, cemetery, and magazine area were placed at some distance from the main post for sanitary considerations and for safety. A "Civilian Village" was added between and and this residential zone was laid out similar to the post command area. A traffic circle was also added by the firehouse joining the "Middle Gate Road" (now Baltzell), Street, Street, "South Gate Road," and Post Headquarters Road. Significantly, the base plan still retained the overall look of the camp, with the main areas still clustered around the railroad spur while the battalion areas remained in block formation stretching to the north and south. Standardization in building design was practiced in World War I but truly refined during the Second World War.

The permanent buildings constructed within the command area in the and discussed above, have counterparts at other Army bases in the Southeast and Southwest. The expansion of the portfolio of temporary or wooden structures needed to house the army of World War Il was the responsib.ility of the Quartermaster Corps. Wasch and Busch liken the standardized plan to a recipe. Each "recipe" combined different construction "ingredients" to yield a barrack; the" ingredients" could also be shuffled slightly to produce a variation on a theme.3 4 Similarly, the "ingredients" could be rearranged to create altogether different mobilization buildings. For example, barracks, mess halls, and company administration/ storehouses formed the core of each company's physical organization.

Examining the "recipes" for these buildings shows how many common "ingredients" each distinct building shared. For example, the electrical, heating, and plumbing details were identical for many building types; and the structural plan for any 29 feet 6 inch wide building was the same. 35 Both permanent and temporary construction took place at Fort McClellan in the to accommodate the Division. This phase of construction was accomplished with million in federal funding. Two firms shared the McClellan contract for the projected construction: the Dunn Construction Company of Birmingham and John S. Hodgson of Montgomery. The policy set by the Quartermaster's Office was to hire local/regional firms capable of meeting the standards set by the government.

Size and workload were two important criteria in the selection. Engineering skill was provided by an Atlanta firm, Weidman and Singleton, and supervision for all was supplied by Major Samuel C. Macintyre .36 An article in the Anniston Star stated that the majority of the men of the lived in tents until the summer of Lane 38dates the completion of the preparations of the fort for the Division to February 10, but notes that the fort was adequately prepared for the troops' 34Diane Wasch, and Perry Busch, World War II Temporary Structures: The U. S. Army. (National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 21. 35Jbid., 22. 36Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 15. 37"Fort McClellan Prepares for Army Day," Anniston Star, March 31, 38Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 15.

FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 14) arrival by January Overall, this generation of buildings was constructed during the tenure of Commanding Officer Colonel John L. Jenkins. The improvements made included 47 miles of paved roads, 27 miles of unpaved roads, 27 warehouses, 9 igloo magazines, 12 shops and a small foundry, school buildings, a cold storage facility able to handle the needs of individuals, sewage facilities to handle a general hospital, new cantonments, 3 dormitories for civilian workers, 4 swimming pools, 2 libraries, service clubs, guest houses, 200 dayrooms, 3 bowling alleys, 5 theaters, and an amphitheater with a person seating capacity.39 By the close of the war, $17 million were expended to further this generation of construction.

In addition to the buildings constructed during this period, the Fort was expanded to the east and west to provide more advantageous training facilities for the Division. A acre tract was purchased for and was used for artillery, tank, and heavy mortar firing and as a bivouac area.40 This purchase would entail the relocation of 200 families associated with the town of Peaceburg as well as a number of homesteaders who had farmed along Cane Creek and its tributaries. To the east a corridor of land was acquired to connect the post with Talladega National Park, allowing the military access to the forest for training maneuvers. A final area of expansion was the establishment of a munitions dump to be constructed by Dunn Construction and John S.

Hodgson and Company in the vicinity of Eastaboga and then connected via highway with Fort McClellan. The Division, a National Guard unit from New York, was the first to enjoy the expanded post. The division, composed of men and officers, was lead by Major General William N. Haskell. As the Division began to settle into the local environment, they and the city of Anniston began and continued to have a close and harmonious relationship. This relationship was interrupted after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Division was ordered to an "unknown destination" on December 19, they arrived in Hawaii on May 21, The fought in the Pacific theater of war until and participated in the occupation of Japan. The Branch Immaterial Replacement Training Center (BIRTC) replaced the Division at McClellan.

It was one of two of its kind within the early days of mobilization and was actually an experiment in training centers. Basically, recruits received eight weeks of basic training including rifle marksmanship; close and extended order drill; field hygiene and sanitation; care of equipment; military courtesy and discipline; and defense against chemical, air and mechanized attacks. At ease with this set of military information, the recruit would then be sent to combat units for training or to a special branch of the Army if their civilian skills warranted such a selection. In the BIRTC was replaced by the Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC). The basic change within the two was the elongation of the training period to 17 weeks with combat training conducted within the last eight weeks.

39 Ibid., 25. 40Jbid., FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 15) Lane 41 notes that during the first months of IRTC's existence, troops were sent to additional combat training areas after their training at Fort McClellan, but once the program was more established, trainees were sent immediately into combat positions. The training they received while at McClellan included infiltration courses, training within simulated urban areas, and overhead artillery fire, as well as experiencing the movement of tanks over foxholes built by the trainees. Geared toward war within the European theater, the accouterments and tactics taught changed after the end of the War with Germany.

How to prevail over the site-specific problems of the Pacific theater took precedence, and training courses in tropical diseases were held. A final transformation of the program took place at the close of the war went it began to prepare the soldiers for occupation duty rather than combat. IRTC was phased out at Fort McClellan in when it was replaced by the Recruit Training Center After the leave-taking of the Division, Fort McClellan had the distinction of acting as headquarters for the Division, the Army's second African-American Division. October 15, marked their activation. Lane 42 reports that men were trailied at McClellan from the while others from that division were trained at Camps Robinson, Atterbury, and Breckenridge.

Both the and Infantry Division were survivors of front-line combat during World War I. Moreover, the was noted as serving with distinction with the French forces. 43 The men of the remained at McClellan until They were first moved to Arizona, then later ordered overseas to the European theater of war where the division fought in both the North Apennines and the Po Valley campaigns in Italy. The Division was deactivated in Other groups housed on the post included the station complement which tripled in number during the War and the establishment of a POW camp. In addition, the post complement embraced two detachments of Women's Army Corps. The first detachment was white, the second group black.

The women in these detachments acted in administrative and clerical roles at the Post Headquarters; handled the Post motor pool; and worked in the bakeries, service clubs, mess, and supply. 45 The early housing for the WACs was replaced in as Fort McClellan became the center for all WAC training and the first permanent home of the WAC since the group's organization in 41Jbid., 23. 421/Jid., 25. 43Morris J. MacGregor Integration of the Armed Forces. In Defense Study Series. (Washington, Center of Military History, United States Army, 7. 44Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 25. 45Jbid., 25. 46"Fort McClellan Prepares for Army Day"Anniston Star. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 16) The Post War Fort With the cessation of war with Japan, the number of trainees at Fort McClellan diminished and a corresponding reduction took place within the post complement. The WAC detachments were deactivated in and early The lean years following World War I were repeated after the Second World War as well, when a$ 2 billion budget cut was applied to Army appropriations. In response to the cuts, Fort McClellan was placed on inactive status and remained on inactive status despite all the pressure Alabama politicians tried to apply. Alabama's Congressional representatives went so far as to invite Dwight D. Eisenhower, then Chief of the Staff, U.S. Army to review the situation.

On his visit, Eisenhower would admit that McClellan was a "jewel among Army installations," but he firmly supported the cut, noting that "sometimes jewels must go when bread and meat are necessary."47 This picture changed by Fort McClellan was restored to active status under the leadership of Brigadier General Theodore R. Wessels. The idea initially was to use the fort for National Guard training once again and to that end the Engineer Construction Battalion was ordered to McClellan to begin the preparations. With the onset of the war in Korea, the were ordered to the Far East Command before they had completed their mission at Fort McClellan. The job then fell into the hands of its commander, General Wessels.

With 10 million dollars in funding, Wessels tackled the job with enthusiasm, restoring the parade grounds, ranges and lawns, and earning him the sobriquet, "Father of the New Fort McClellan." 48 While political persuasion was useless in the situation was reversed in when the Army reactivated the fort to operate the Chemical Corps School, later styled the U.S. Army Chemical Center and School. Funding was appropriated to build new facilities for the school which were completed in Another newcomer in the the Women's Army Corps Center was established in As discussed above, the WAC center acted as the receiving, processing and training center for all female volunteers to its service.

Civilian summer training was also practiced at the fort in the early The rebirth of the fort was short-lived however. Both the U.S. Army Chemical Center and School and the WAC Center were closed at Fort McClellan in the Once again, Alabama politicians began to petition Washington for the fort to remain open and were once again successful. The Army moved the Military Police School to Anniston from Fort Gordon in and the U.S. Army Chemical School was relocated to Anniston in assuring the continued survival of Fort McClellan.49 The Post Planned and Built Major General Cheatham indicated in his statement to the Congress that individual plans were being developed in for each of the posts affected by the 47Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 30. 48Jbid., 31.

49Robert Entire, ed., "Fort McClellan" in Anniston, Alabama Centennial, Commemorative Book and Centennial Program. (Anniston, Al, Higginbotham, Inc., 86- 88. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 17) Housing Program of the Army.so Yet at that point in time Fort McClellan was still Camp McClellan; it was not made a permanent fort until Fort McClellan may have been one of the forts referred to by Fordas "containing a charm, mellowed with age, the most efficiently trained expert with all his world of knowledge could not improve upon."51 It certainly had a setting without peer, being situated in the Choccolocco Valley at the foot of the Appalachian Highlands.

A description of the setting included in each completion report details the topographic conditions that the planner had to deal with at Fort McClellan: Choccolocco Mountain courses for ten miles within the eastern boundary line and the topography varies from rolling lowland to a series of ridges and valleys. Ridge heights are feet above sea level and feet above the adjoining lowland. A wide embayment enters the reservation from the NW and extends with decreasing width past the center. This embayrnent is drained by Cane Creek, and is the scene of summer camp activities. The construction layout for permanent buildin.Jis is located on an elongated knoll which runs parallel to the embayment.

Although no plan attributed to Ford that could be construed as the "original" design was found during this study, the deliberateness of the layout of the permanent buildings underscores that one did exist. Attention should also be directed to the reference in the above quote that "the construction layout" for permanent buildings was on an elongated knoll parallel to the-embayrnent. Historical accounts of the fort mention that General Summerall "drew up the plans" for its development.53 Although Summerall was not post commander, he had a previous relationship with the camp and was in a position to comment upon the chosen design, given Cheathem's policy of planning.

Hence, he very well may have been a leading force within the plan chosen for the fort in the The design implemented at McClellan is shown in a General Map drawn under the authority of the War Department, Office of the Post Quartermaster. As the post area occupied an embayment, its plan was by necessity compact. Scharff and Dulin had already conceptually divided the camp space into areas. The hospital area, probably for hygienic purposes, was set apart from the camp on a knoll, while the land south of the railroad spur had been adopted for industrial or transportation use.

Ford and his cohorts would take this schema and more intensively develop areas of "reasonable concentration." They would also change land use within some of the zones and establish new areas of occupation on the north side of the post. SOu.s. Congress House Committee on Military Affairs, Army Housing Program. Congress, December 23, Slceorge B.Ford, "New Army Posts for Old", in Quartermaster Review, November- December, 15. 52completion Report, Post Headquarters, Fort McClellan, National Archives, Military Reference, Suitland, 53Lane, The History of Fort McClellan. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 18) Under the plan, the fort area was expanded, creeks channeled, and buffers established between areas.

The planner pushed battalion areas beyond the creek, while maintaining the cantonment areas north of the railroad spur. This, to a degree, retains the blockiness of the plan in both the northern and southern reaches of the fort. These contained the training areas and cantonments and despite every planning effort, the buildings within them were highly regimented. Channelization of Cane Creek and its southern branch is denoted where it coursed through the golf course and for the branch, east of the area which was noted as Area 22 in While the first effort at redirecting the flow of the creek was accomplished in later efforts straightened the flow of the creek east of the old Hospital area.

By the post was divided into at least five areas: the Post Headquarters Area, the Warehouse Area, the Railhead Area, the Hospital Area, and the Magazine Area. A Master Plan of the Fort shows the post layout in plan view. In the hospital area was occupied by long, narrow buildings used as single wards. The permanent post construction layout reduced the hospital to a single building and incorporated it into the new Headquarters Area which supplanted the hospital on the knoll. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was the chosen architectural frequency.

Residential in tone, imposing in its architecture, and set on a rise, the post command area would become known colloquially as "the Hill." Drills and athletic fields were situated to the south and a 9-hole golf course, in place in was built to the northeast. Three sub-areas were included in the new arrangement: the officer's residential area, the buildings related to post command, and the N.C.O residential area. The officer's quarters lined two open areas, noted as "parks," in an elongated horseshoe configuration. This configuration is similar to another designed by Ford for Fort Benning, except that the'"Fort McClellan community area is smaller and blends both residential uses with administration.

Post Headquarters, a low, one story building, occupied the opposite end of the axis with a "bandstand" situated in the depressed area of the lower park. Post Headquarters was flanked on the east by Silver Chapel, on the west by the Hospital. The original Post Exchange was situated southwest of the Hosfital on Post Headquarters Road. As pointed out by Arnold and Barrow, 5 Post Headquarters acts as an architectural transition between the residential architecture and the large scale, three story buildings which lie behind it. Three of these are three-story barracks, while the remainder are three separate buildings, connected by a loggia, containing an Assembly Hall and gymnasium. This grouping of buildings, monumental in scale, embraces a parade ground on three sides.

Another sub-area comprises the N.C.O. quarters and the Post Office building. Arranged in tiers in a semicircular formation, these homes are one-story and are associated with alleys allowing access to multi-family garages. The original Post Office, now used as a day-care center, was located east of the quarters. Finally, mention should be made of the Fire Station. Also styled in Spanish Colonial Revival, the fire station was situated centrally between the command area and the permanent buildings in the industrial and transportation areas. Like Post Headquarters, the fire station also has a transitional role bridging the more utilitarian areas by its function with the post command area by its style. 54 Arnold and Barrow Architects, Architectural Evaluation: Buildings Built Between and Ft.

McClellan, Alabama, submitted to Mobile Corps of Engineers, 3. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 19) Moving eastward from the Post Headquarters Area, the next building concentrations were the "Warehouse Area" and the "Railhead Area." Unlabeled but in existence between the two was a third district related to transportation. Finally, the Magazine Area was situated in isolation at the northern extremity of the railroad spur. The connection between all four was the route of the railroad spur which extends from the Middle Gate, now Baltzell Gate, entrance to the Magazine area. The railroad, essential to the supply of materials and equipment to the fort, was the focal point of the industrial activities undertaken at Fort McClellan.

When first constructed, the railroad was the primary means used for the shipment of men, equipment and materials. Goods were transported via the "mainline" by commercial carrier and "routed" to the Fort along the spur line. With the exception of high explosive munitions, all materials and goods passed through the Warehouse Area or the Railhead Area. While the former functioned as a storage area, the latter was a distribution point. The Railhead Area was essentially a depot where supplies were unloaded-and prepared for distribution or forwarding by truck or other means. Materials were inventoried, inspected, and stored in the Warehouse Area.

Given its function, the Warehouse Area was the focus of permanent construction in the Although its buildings belonged to the same generation of structures constructed on "the Hill," those in the Warehouse Area were Utilitarian in style. They were simply constructed of brick with cast stone or concrete trim and asphalt shingle roofing, and packed in a linear fashion along the spur. Lying adjacent to the warehouse area and possibly acting as a sub-area were the buildings related directly to transportation. Here stable and garages were paramount. Like the Warehouse Area, the transportation district was furnished with permanent buildings constructed in brick and cast in Utilitarian style.

Interestingly, both the warehouse and transportation areas were first established in by Scharff and Dulin, having four divisional storehouses set lengthwise along the tracks. Four narrow stables were sited to the southwest of the storehouses on an angle. The later planner would simply intensify this area of concentration and enclose the buildings so they would not be visually intrusive. The map shows a park and "canal" on the west and a golf course, a nursery and field on the east. Pocketed inside this buffer zone, warehouses were placed in a linear fashion along the spur while the stables and garages were away from the rails in a pattern reminiscent of the arrangement. As horses were kept in this area, pasture and corrals were also part of this district.

The Railhead Area and the new Hospital Area were not furnished with permanent buildings in the late and The Railhead Area consisted of six unidentified rectangular structures, four north of the tracks and two south, a refrigeration plant, an office, and a coal storage facility in By the area had grown. More tracks were added to the north of the grouping, and at least ten long rectangular structures, some with attached buildings to the rear, and an assortment of other buildings were added south of Eighteenth Street. The Hospital Area was a product of the it does not appear on the map. Temporary buildings, rectangular in form, composed the majority and functioned as wards. Laid out in columns, the map indicates over 80 buildings comprised the hospital.

Catwalks SSoffice of the Constructing Quartermaster, General Map of Fort McClellan, National Archives, Record Group 77, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 20) networked the buildings, some of which had screened porches. The remaining areas were devoted to battalion housing. A final area which was established by Scharff and Dulin and which remained static in location and basic conformation was the Magazine Area, located at the northern end of the railroad spur at the foot of Reservoir Ridge. Safe ammunition storage was a concern for the planner. The proper ammunition in the correct amount had to be accessible for training but located at some distance from populated areas in the event of an accident.

Thus, the Magazine Area had a buffer of surrounding undeveloped land but was fairly close to training areas. In an effort to minimize the possibility of accidents, the Quartermaster Corps designed specialized buildings, known historically as magazines, to provide a safe, and fireproof storage environment for ammunition. Building records note that Magazines are the only buildings within the inventory which date to the initial construction at the fort. Barn-like in form, they were joined in by nine igloo magazines. The latter are earth covered barrel- arched buildings designed in The evolution of this area and the magazine types it embraced between and is developed more fully in the following section.

Early Twentieth-Century Ammunition Storage Design And Its Context At Fort McClellan The study of storage buildings traditionally has not stimulated research, particularly when their mundane function is translated into form. The written history of ammunition storage buildings is a testimony to that lack of excitement. Prior to there is relatively little written on magazines, their form and construction. Accepted as an architectural cog within the network of ordnance supply, they were military necessities. The Lake Denmark, New Jersey, explosion changed this.

The dramatic effects of this disaster, which took place in a densely populated area in placed safe ammunition storage in the minds of many Americans and a new design, touted in engineering journals for the safety it offered, was forthcoming. This section explores the advent of the igloo and the landscape changes it brought to Fort McClellan's World War I era Magazine Area. A historic overview of the Magazine Area is first presented based on historical reports and maps and real property records. It is followed by a discussion of the magazine design from to This section focuses on the igloo, its genesis and diffusion.

Finally, a comparison of the Fort McClellan examples to their chronological counterparts constructed at Anniston Ordnance Depot, point out that there was differentiation in construction and design within the diffusion process. Magazine Area, Camp McClellan, The Magazine Area was laid out and constructed by Colonel Dulin, the Construction Quartermaster for Camp McClellan. Once completed, it was considered part of the camp's Ordnance Depot under the direction of the Ordnance Depot Company. The latter began operations on September 3, when its first warehouse was completed and designated for the storage of ordnance. This line of command was newly instituted. Prior to General Order No.

War Department, the Adjutant General of the Army directed Commanding Generals of the divisions in training to organize Field Depot Companies at their respective camps. This delegation of authority was pragmatic. As no centralized unit FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 21) specializing in ordnance supply was in existence, the experience of these men was drawn upon. However, this arrangement led to a lack of uniformity of procedure that could not be countenanced within the scale of operations that were unfolding. The order removed the 34 Ordnance depots from control of the camp or division commanders except for purposes of protection, discipline, or coordination of supply.

This change opened the door for centralized control of the field depots which manifested itself in the Field Depot Branch of the Supply Division in the fall of The Ordnance Depot Company, once properly established, had an unusual place within the division camps as its control stemmed from the Ordnance Department. It was not a tactical unit but a stationary organization. Business men commissioned in Ordnance were charged with the responsibility of setting up each depot, installing efficiency, and creating a rapport with the various organizations within the camps. The underlying concept was that the Depot was to "give actual service" that would expedite and ease the Supply Officers handling of ordnance activities.

The Ordnance Depot Company for the supply of a Division consisted of five officers and 100 enlisted men. These men furnished all divisional, detached and camp organizations with their supply of Ordnance material, and trained personnel in the care, tiering, repair, maintenance and accounting for all Ordnance materiaI.57 The buildings associated with each Field Depot were uniform. Cooperation between the Supply Division and the Cantonment Division of the Quartermaster Department lead to the construction of an office, two storehouses, three magazines, an oil house, and a repair shop at each field depot. All of these were built according to standardized I?lans and particular attention was given to the storage buildings interior design, which rncluded the shelving and bins needed.

The Stores Division were the caretakers of the magazines, along with the warehouses and the oilhouse (a 20' x 30' metal building with a ground floor). According to a historical report, the construction of the Field Ordnance Depot at Camp McClellan in conformed to the new standards: An additional warehouse was assigned to the Depot in November to take care of the supplies of target and other material, which had begun to arrive in quantity by this time. Shortly afterward, the two warehouse were connected by a continuous platform on the railroad side. The original warehouse has since been reserved as much as possible for broken and unbroken packages of new equipment, while the other has handled serviceable material, expended ammunition, etc.

One end of the original warehouse was altered in March, to provide an office and a broken package "cage" with tiers of bins for convenient storage. Lieutenant John MumfordPalmer, The Issue of Ordnance Materiel the Field Depots Supply Division Ordnance Dept. History with 10 Exhibits., National Archives, RG Entry No. Box No. 1, Military Reference, Suitland, MD, 57Jbid. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 22) . The oil house is located across the roadway from this warehouse. During the two months immediately preceding the departure of the Division from Camp McClellan, night work in the warehouse was the rule rather than the exception.

An immense amount of surplus and unserviceable equipment was taken in from all organizations and finally all materiel and harness from the artillery brigade. At the same time the last minute arrivals of new equipment were being issued out and rifles prepared for overseas shipment. Three magazines were finished early in October and the small amount of small arms ammunition received up to that time was immediately transferred. All ammunition in storage is now grouped according to lot numbers. A black powder magazine, with a barricade on the side toward the other magazines, was built this year.

The magazines are located at the end of the railroad spur, about a mile and a half across camp from the warehouses and office (Palmer No further mention is made of the magazines until November when a large platform was constructed "at the magazines" to provide storage for rounds of artillery ammunition. The ammunition had been stored outside the magazines in piles for lack of adequate storage space. '~The floor of one magazine had already cracked under the weight of the ammunition which was piled to the roof,"(Palmer This histQ.rical report on Camp McClellan ends with the signing of the Armistice and an estimate that soldiers were served by Camp McClellan's Field Ordnance Depot.

General references by Palmer to magazines are few in his discussion of the Field Ordnance Depots and his direct references to Camp McClellan's magazines are teasers. It appears that the magazines that were constructed as part of Camp McClellan's Ordnance Depot were built according to an agreed upon plan that determined their form and number. No historic photographs or completion reports were found that describe these buildings within their original landscape. A detail of the General Topographical and Location Map for Camp McClellan produced in provides the most information on the first generation of six magazines and their layout.

Five of these buildings are still extant, namely, Buildings The numbering system was given by order of construction date while the current system organizes the magazines by location from south to north. Hence, the surviving buildings are identified in as and The initial layout of the Magazine Area was the work of Colonel Dulin and Maurice Scharff. Their design was straightforward, placing the munitions storage area at the base of Reservoir Ridge, approximately a mile and a half from the main building Lieutenant John Mumford Palmer, Ordnance Depot Company Camp McDlellan, Alabama" in The Issue of Ordnance Materiel and the Field Depots Suppley Division Ordnance , Dept. History with 10 Exhibits., National Archives, RG Entry No. Box No. 1, Military Reference, Suitland Md, 59 59 Ibid.

FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 23) area. The internal organization of the magazines was fairly simple between and Four of the magazines fronted the railroad spur on their west elevations while an unnamed street, perpendicular with Henry Street, was built along their eastern elevations. Three of these buildings were rectangular structures uniform in size. A set of three identical "Standard Depot Magazines" were completed in October at Camp McClellan according to 1st Lieutenant John Mumford Palmer's history of the Ordnance Depot Company. These are known currently as Buildings and but are identified as Buildings through on the map. All three are extant. Real property records indicate that each measured 24 feet x 60 feet.

Gable roofs with ridge vents covered the frame and concrete buildings. The map further indicates that a set interval was allowed between each of approximately 120 feet. A fourth magazine, current Building is denoted south of Building in This was a square, 20 feet on a side, magazine similar in construction to the other magazines. Two other magazines, depicted as small square buildings, are noted. Both of which were located away from the first group. The magazine west of the railroad spur had a barricade on its east elevation. Real property records identify these as powderhouses. Both powderhouses were built to the north of the other magazines and were not aligned with the standard depot magazines.

Building is the barricaded magazine mentioned above and Building on the map is shown as a 10 feet x 10 feet magazine. A long, rectangular structure was also in place east of the sequentially aligned magazines. This was probably the platform described by Palmer that was built in to accommodate the storage of excess artillery ammunition. Finally, the railroad spur and Henry Street connected the Magazine Area to the post's main building area. Magazine Area, Fort McClellan, A detail from a General Map of Fort McClellan prepared from a survey shows only minor changes occurred in the Magazine Area since World War I. This is in sharp contrast with the expansion experienced by other areas at Fort McClellan that were targeted by the Housing Program for the Army.

The main changes were the addition of a new approach from the south and the renaming of Henry Street to "Ordnance Road." The temporary building shown in disappeared and the beginning of the curve of the dogleg around Reservoir Ridge was more defined. Correspondence between Fort McClellan's Commanding Officer to the Commanding General of the Fourth Corps Area in gives some sense of the Magazine Area and its condition. A request for four Ordnance magazines was made as: "the four magazines at this station are temporary structures. The floors are sagging, indicating an advanced deterioration of the supporting timbers. Roofs are requiring an increasing and uneconomic expenditure for maintenance.

Due to ROTC, and NG summer camps conducted here, a varied assortment of ammunition is carried in storage. It is believed that three magazines of the type shown ... will be sufficient." 60 60 Adjutant General's Office, Miscellaneous, Fort McClellan, December National Archives, Military Reference, Suitland, Md. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 24) The number later was increased to four magazines. The reply to this request noted that the types of magazines specified were superseded by new magazine plans and that the new type, QM and should be substituted.

All four were approved for inclusion "in any future revision of the War Department Housing Program for Fort McClellan."61 The reader was also further advised that the potential for such a revision was indefinite and that the erection of all or part of the approved magazines was authorized with appropriate funds already in hand. Only one magazine materialized from the request, Building Based on QM this magazine was not constructed until May of after the Master Plan was completed. Listed as an Ordnance Magazine, it was a rectangular building whose gable end faced the railroad spur. While this was a departure from the earlier magazines, Building was still a sibling to the earlier Standard Ordnance Depot Magazine. The nine igloos constructed in however, were from another gene pool.

The lethargy that blocked adequate repair of Fort McClellan's magazines ended with the onset of World War II. Attention once focused upon the construction of camps and cantonments, now centered on munitions as Americans realized that industrial preparedness was a necessity. By October of the Army had allotted million for constructing and equipping new facilities to make and store munitions. Four months later the first munitions plant program was defined.62 During this period, the Ordnance Department experienced dramatic growth. Two volumes, The Ordnance Department:Planning Munitions For War, authored by Constance McLaughlin Green, Harry C. Thomson, and Peter C. Roots63 and The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply, by Harry C.

Thomson and Lida Mayo,64 published in the Center of Military History's Unit~d States Army in World War II, The Technical Services, comprehensively chronicle this growth. As in World War I, the Construction Division built the plants and storage buildings the Ordnance personnel would exclusively use. One thread within these linked stories was the upgrading of ammunition storage facilities and the establishment of regional ammunition depots. Fort McClellan was considered as a possible candidate for bomb storage: During the spring of the year as the result of a threatening international situation, the War Department began to modify and activate previously drawn plans for enlargement of the military establishment of the United States.

Among other measures these plans called for the establishment of a number of ammunition Depots at strategic points. On June the Chief of Ordnance wrote to the Quartermaster General requesting the location of a depot for bomb 61 Ibid. 62Fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 63constance Green, Harry C. Thomson and Peter C. Roots, "The Ordnance Department: Planning Munitions for War," in The United States Army in World War II The Technical Services. (Washington DC, Center of Military History, 64 Harry C. Thomson, and Lida Mayo, "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply," in The United States Army in World War II The Technical Services. (Washington DC, Center of Military History, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 25) storage at Fort McClellan. It was found, however, that no suitable ground was available.65 Instead, Fort McClellan's ammunition storage area continued to store ammunition used in the training of the Division, the National Guard Division from New York.66 Although Fort McClellan was not chosen for the new facility, a acre tract in Calhoun County was chosen to become Anniston Ordnance Depot. Dunn Construction Company. and John S. Hodgson Company were contracted for the construction of 500 igloos, 6 standard magazines, 50 warehouse, along with other facilities at the new regional depot. The number of igloos would later be expanded. Dunn Construction Company was a Birmingham firm, while Hodgson was based in Montgomery.

The contract for the work at the new depot was signed in January of the same month Fort McClellan's nine igloos were completed. Real property records do not state the contractors responsible for the set of igloos built at Fort McClellan, but Lane's hi$tory of the installation notes that Dunn Construction Company and John S. Hodgson Company were also responsible for Fort McClellan's expansion of which the magazine construction must have been a part.67 The new construction followed the layout created by Dulin and Scharff extending Second Avenue to the northeast. The first four igloos to be built continued the World War I plan of aligning the magazines with the railroad. Both the spur and Second A venue were extended to accommodate their construction and to afford service access.

Five more igloos were constructed to the east of Second Avenue on two branches that are accessed Second Avenue. The igloos identified as Buildings and are each over 300 feet apart. This spacing was also afforded to Buildings and The Master Plan shows the Magazine Area after the expansion. The partial dendritic form of the overall area was guided by topography and safety distances established by the American Table of Distances determined the spacing. The importance of the railroad was considerably lessened by Roads afford access to the igloos set in the upper reaches of Reservoir Ridge and new entry roads were established.

A coal storage yard was situated at an angle from the magazine area which was fenced in The main road within the study area is identified as Magazine Road and it appears to be the northern end of Eighteenth Street. Magazine Design, "Ammunition Supply," written by Colonel Alexander J. Stuart, Chief of Ammunition Supply Division of the Ordnance Field Service was published in in the journal, Army Ordnance. 68 It describes the problems facing the Ordnance Department in 65 Anniston Ordnance Depot, Historical Report of the Organization and Activities of Anniston Ordnance Depot, Alabama, January 1, National Archives, RG Entry No. Box A332, Military Reference, Suitland, 66Lane, The History of Fort McClellan, 15. 67Jbid., 15.

68colonel Alexander J, Stuart, "Ammunition Storage" in Army Ordnance..Vol. 1, No. 4, (January-March FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 26) connection with the storage and maintenance of the excess ammunition on the signing of the armistice. This discussion defines the classes of ammunition that were stored in the nation's magazines at the close of the war and outlines the types of magazines needed to store them. Six classes of ammunition were stored. The first class contained finished ammunition and loaded components, while the second included smokeless powder. The latter was used in bulk and in the form of separate ready-made propelling charges. Class 3 included fuses and primers.

Class 4 ammunition included high explosives such as picric acid, explosive "D" and tetryl. Sodium Nitrate and inert components, such as empty shell, boosters, metallic components of fuses composed Class 5 while Class 6 was made up of small arms ammunition. 69 Each class was stored in a prescribed type of magazine predicated on its explosive potential: Class One. This class is stored in standard ammunition magazines, approximately 50 x 20 feet, spaced 300 to 400 feet apart. These magazines are of hollow tile construction with concrete floors, having a permissible floor load of at least pounds per square foot. On account of the tonnage of ammunition and the weight of an individual shell or package, ammunition magazines are always provided with standard gauge railroad track.

The principal characteristics of this class are great weight and moderate sensitiveness. Shell below 6 inches are not subject to mass detonation, and while shell of 6 inches and large caliber may detonate en masse, there is very little likelihood of this except in case of fire. The ammunition magazines present a free-proof exterior and are so constructed that in the event of an explosion the walls and roof will break up into small fragments so that there is no danger of large masses of debris being thrown any appreciable distance. Class Two. Smokeless powder magazines are approximately 32 by 96 feet, with a capacity of pounds and are placed 300 feet apart. They are of lighter construction than the ammunition magazines, having wooden floors, walls of asbestos siding and gypsum slab roofs.

Smokeless powder does not explode, but if ignited burns with an extremely intense heat. The spacing of 300 feet and the fire-proof exterior are sufficient to prevent the spread of fire from one magazine to another. The capacity of the magazines is limited only by the necessity for limiting the loss in case of fire. Class Three. Fuses and primes are stored in magazines 32 by 96 feet, spaced 300 feet apart. These buildings have wooden floors, hollow tile walls and gypsum slab roofs. The distinguishing characteristics of this class of material are great sensitiveness, high cost, and the fact that the destruction of a comparatively small amount in bulk would render useless a relatively large amount of other components.

For this reason magazines are comparatively small and the exterior thoroughly protected against sparks or fire. 69 69Jbid., FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 27) Class Four. High explosives are stored in magazines 26 by 42 feet, with hollow tile walls and gypsum slab roofs. These units are designed for a capacity of pounds of explosive and are spaced 800 feet apart, thus complying with the American Table of Distances. High explosives are comparatively sensitive, and, in case of fire it is very likely that most of the explosive would detonate. The hollow tile gypsum slab construction, therefore is necessary to prevent damage from very heavy missiles. Class Five. Sodium nitrate is very soluble in water.

It is an oxidizing material rather than an explosive and will not even burn unless mixed with a combustible material ... Two hundred thousand tons of sodium nitrate are to be stored at Savanna Proving Ground in a concrete trench, the nitrate simply being dumped in, rolled, and then covered with a water-proofing of pitch compound. Class Six. The standard warehouse for inert material is constructed in sections 100 by 160 feet, with concrete floors, brick walls and wooden roofs. A brick fire wall is placed between adjoining sections. 70 Camp McClellan's magazines were probably used to store Class One through Class Four ammunition yet their construction and spacing differed from that described.

This variance is due to their conception at the outset of the war and their use in a field depot situation. The magazines at Camp McClellan were stuccoed frame buildings on concrete foundations spaced at approximately 120 feet intervals. The magazines described by Stuart, however, were constructed at regional depots and their design and layout benefited from lessons learned in the war. No barricades are mentioned but another source notes that the presence of a barricade was also factored into the amount of distance between magazines. Thus, unbarricaded standard, smokeless powder, primer and fuser magazines were spaced at 300 feet intervals; unbarricaded high explosive magazines were spaced at 400 foot intervals at ammunition depots.

71 The presence of barricades presumably lessened the needed distance. This description of best practice in magazine construction is instructive as seven years later the majority of the magazines described would be replaced by the igloo. A series of explosions induced by lightning at the Navy's Lake Denmark, New Jersey, Ammunition Depot occurred on July 10, High explosives, projectiles, black powder, and smokeless powder were stored in about one-third of the buildings at the depot located about three and a half miles from the City of Dover. A hollow tile magazine of fireproof construction and equipped with lighting rods akin to that described by Stuart was the first to explode. Other explosions followed as other buildings were ignited from embers, missiles or direct heat.

Within a foot radius from the initial explosion area, everything was destroyed. Neighboring Picatinny Arsenal was also affected as were the depots surrounds. The literature on this disaster 70Jbid., 71colonel W. H.Tschappat, The Lake Denmark Explosion As It Affected Picatinny Arsenal., (Lecture delivered Septembr 22, US Military Academy, West Point, National Archives, RG Entry No. Box 12, Military Reference, Suitland, 60. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 28) makes for difficult reading.

Nineteen were killed and many, both civilian and military, were wounded and the scale of property damage was awesome.72 The disaster area was inventoried and analyzed to ascertain the cause of the explosion, to chronicle the chain of events, to evaluate the success or failure of safety devices in place, and to chart the distances impacted by the explosion. The History of Explosions as well as lectures and reports, such as The Lake Denmark Explosion As It Affected Picatinny Arsenal by Colonel Tschappat in list all the buildings impacted. 73 They also note their distance from the original explosion and the type of damage incurred.

The depot was in essence treated as a crime scene or laboratory that, if studied properly, would yield critical data that would help to avoid a reoccurrence of the tragedy. While the military community was bent on fact finding, the American public was horrified at the extent of the disaster. An editorial published in Engineering News-Record summarizes this view and calls for an official inquiry: Of the whole series of major accidents which the Navy has experienced in recent years, none has so closely involved the personal interest of the citizen as this one.

It has brought sharply to consciousness the danger of destruction and sudden death inherent in great stores of high explosives, and simultaneously has awakened a general conviction that if means can be found to minimize this danger they should be used, whatever the cost. Lightning, if that is what set off the initial blast at the arsenal, is not yet subject to human control, and despite the most elaborate protective devices a powderhouse may be struck as readily as a farm house. Even without reckoning the chance of ignition through other causes, then, any powder store is the potential seat of an explosion.

But the greatness of the danger grows rapidly with the amount of the explosive and its concentration in unisolated groups; and so also it can be limited by storing smaller quantities and subdividing and isolating them . . . It is sure to be of wide public interest, for it is as much the public's as the Navy's problem how to maintain adequate supplies of necessary explosives and yet keep the inevitable hazard down to a minimum. The inquiry should also furnish better knowledge than has yet been available as to the width of the danger zone surrounding a store of high explosives .

74 The results of the official inquiry were published in under the title, Ammunition Storage Conditions, Letter from the Acting Secretary of War Transmitting Proceedings of the Joint Board Composed of Officers of the Army and Navy to Survey Ammunition Storage Conditions, Pursuant to the Act Approved December 22, The 72 Ralph Assheton, compiler, History of Explosions On Which the American Table of Distances was Based Including Other Explosions of Large Quantities of Explosives. (Institute of Makers of Explosives, 73Tschappat, The Lake Denmark Explosion As It Affected Picatinny Arsenal. 74Engineering News Record, "The Hazard of Explosives",Vol. 97, No. 4, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 29) document was divided into three sections.

A preliminary statement was followed by a list of study procedures, then the Army and Navy's ordnance facilities were individually discussed. The preliminary statement noted at the outset that the most stringent laws on explosives in the country belonged to the State of New Jersey. These laws, that incorporate the "American Table of Distances," a study of the effects of explosions since were adopted by the board for its standard of safety. The board noted that after World War I enormous quantities of ammunition, en route to France piled up on the Atlantic seaboard and were diverted to the nearest depot. These depots were dangerously overloaded, and all ammunition considered not essential for future use was disposed of accordingly. This still left many depots over- extended.

The board stipulated no problems had occurred where proper storage was practiced and that steps could be taken to remove any further concerns. Redistribution and rearrangement were posed as solutions as well as the establishment of a permanent Joint-Army-Navy Ammunition Storage Board to serve in an advisory capacity to the Secretary .of War and the Secretary of the Navy.75 The preliminary statement further noted that since Lake Denmark, both services, Army and Navy, had revised their method of storage. The Navy limited the amount of high explosive stored in one building to pounds; the Army to Moreover, these magazines were now barricaded.

Yorktown Naval Mine Depot was a case in point: A concrete comparison between actual experience, the laws of New J~pey, and the storage plan now being put in effect at the Yorktown naval mine depot may be of interest. At Yorktown, when restowage is completed, a maximum of pounds of explosive will be stored in each magazine, the magazine being carefully "barricaded" by being covered with earth exce~t at the entrance, which will have a suitable earth barricade in front.

6 The new barricaded magazine being built at Yorktown was also commented on in the Engineering News Record.77 A small article on naval construction activities described the magazines as semi-cylindrical structures of reinforced concrete, covered with earth except on their end walls which are protected by barricades of earth faced with creosoted wood. The Yorktown magazines were 40 feet long and 10 feet high at the crown of their arch and had a capacity for pounds of explosives. They were laid out in groups of seven with 500 feet between each and feet between groups. The design was attributed to Captain E. R. Gaylor (C.E.C.) U.S.N. under Rear Admiral L. Gregory (C.E.C.) U.S.N. Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks.

75 Thomson, and Mayo, "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply," 76 Ammunition Storage Conditions, Letter from the Joint Board Composed of Officers of the Army and Navy to Survey Ammunition Storage Conditions Pursuant to the Act Approved December 22, Congress, 1st Section, House Of Representatives, Document No. 77Engineering News Record, "Naval Construction Acitivities", Volume No. 3, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page30) "The outstanding feature of the new design is that the magazines will be sunk into the ground and bulwarked at each end, that in case of an accident, the explosive force would be directed upward instead of horizontally."78 A second feature of the new design was a complex system of lightning protection which included lightning rods and a steel reinforcing rods, closely set and welded in the arch.79 Essentially, all reinforcing steel and other metal parts were electrically connected to a copper girdle circling the entire structure and embedded in its footing.BO A plan for such a magazine, titled "Magazine Plan, Elevation and Sections", Yards and Docks Drawing No. was located on file at Yorktown Naval Weapons Center. This plan, dated July 15, shows that N. M.

Smith was the Project Manager. Smith was Commander N. M. Smith, Civil Engineer Corps, Bureau of Yards and Docks, U.S.N., a member of the Ammunition Storage Condition Board discussed above. The designer is noted simply by his initials, but a companion sheet with an analysis of stresses (Appendix C) shows the full name of the designer, Mr. J. M. Michaelson. Dr?twings and give a plan, elevation, section, and details of an early barricaded igloo. The elevation shows a 40 foot long building, feet in total height, 10 feet at the crown of the arch covered with fill on three elevations. A waterproof membrane capped with a layer of sand is shown under the fill but is not described. Vertical steel rods are placed within the concrete arch and two ventilators are in place.

A sloped barricade facing the entry wall has protective planking on its top and its vertical face. The head wall was composed of a concrete section fronting the arch; the wing sections were shown in wood. Double metal doors on the head wall offer interior access. Anchors are attached to the back of the head wall wings. The end wall was covered fill; only a ventilator pipe was visible. The interior plan was open. The concrete floors were gently sloped to the edge gutters that lined each long parallel wall. The arch and the floor were not attached. The half section shows the concrete footing, its size and setting in gravel. The antecedents of the igloo design are sketchy. Neither Thomson and Mayo81 nor Fine and Rernington82 discuss its origin.

In form it was similar to the World War I temporary building, the Quonset Hut, developed for the Army Air Signal Corps on plans furnished by the British. The Nissen Bow Hut was its title and it was a prefabricated structure designed for use on France's airfields for squadron offices, guardhouses, field stores, etc. Gamer83 notes that they acquired the name Quonset huts during World War II when large numbers of them were used by the Navy and Marines at the Naval Air 78Engineering News Record,"Igloos for Munitions Storage", Vol. 79Fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 80 C. H.Cotter, "Naval Ammunition Depot Near Hawthorne, Nev., Built To Serve the Pacific Coast", Engineering News Record. Vol. No.

21, 81 Thomson, and Mayo, "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply." 82fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States." 83 John S.Garner, World War II Temporary Military Buildings. US Army Corps Of Engineers, Construction Enginering Research Laboratories Technical Report 30. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page3 l) Station at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The first of these uniquely-shaped buildings were constructed of wood and metal components. Its semi-cylindrical roof of galvanized corrugated sheet metal was attached to timber purlins and supported by steel ribs. The semicircular end walls were of board and batten construction with a door at the center. Wood was used for the building's foundation and floors.

In contrast, World War II Quon.sets were all metal in construction.84 Michaelson's inspiration can only be guessed but as quickly as the igloo was created, its design was modified to suit differing needs and budgetary concerns. The igloos' diffusion was guaranteed as it was preferred by the Joint Army-Navy Ammunition Storage Board and the Ordnance Safety Board for all types of ammunition storage except small arms. Thomson and Mayo85 report that the Ordnance Department required in January that igloos be used in all future depot construction. However, with the construction of large depots looming, reducing construction costs and reducing the quantity of steel used in the construction became an issue. Redesign of the igloo was undertaken to force this reduction in money and materials.

Colonel Casey, construction officer in charge of directing redesign projects, consulted with Dr. Karl B. McEachron, head of General Electric's high voltage laboratory, about the system of lightning protection the igloo featured. In the end, Casey adopted an idea proposed by Colonel Dunstan which eliminated the tie beams by reinforcing the concrete slab floor to take the thrust of the arch.

By adopting these changes, an estimated to were saved per igloo86 Even with reductions of that nature, an average 50 foot igloo used the following quantities of materials: 160 cubic yards of concrete, pounds of reinforcing steel, pounds of reinforcing mesh, 240 pounds of copper, and an estimate man-hours.87 As discussed above, the and brought about little change at Fort McClellan's Ammunition Supply Area. The only magazine added in the was Building a Standard Ordnance Magazine. Fort McClellan was considered as a possible candidate for a southeastern depot, one of four proposed in the late Each was to occupy one corner of the United States for support of forces repelling attacks from any direction.88 The land around Talladega National Forest was considered too rugged.

Also a site near Fort McClellan lacked room for expansion and would place magazines too close to troops in training. Thus, McClellan was passed over in favor of a tract to the southeast. The latter became the Anniston Army Depot, which was completed in the spring of The same contractors that built Fort McClellan's igloos went on to construct the depot's examples. Historic photographs, articles, and real property records establish that the igloos constructed at Fort McClellan were different than those built in 84 TZ,id., 30. 85 Thomson, and Mayo, "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply," 86Fine and Remington, "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States," 87 Francis R. MacLeay,"Concrete Beehive for Munitions Storage", Engineering News- Record, Volume No. 13, 75.

88Thomson, and Mayo, "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply," FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page32) the same year, in the same county and by the same contractor. Engineering News Record89 provided a half cross-section of "typical igloo design in use for storage throughout nation" to its engineering audience. This half-section indicates that the original Michaelson design had been overhauled. The steel rods proposed in the original design were removed and a reinforced concrete floor added. The head wall was also reconfigured; the standard plan now called for a counterforted retaining wall. Changes in the footings also occurred to accommodate changes in the arch. The Quartermaster Corps under the direction of Lt. Col.

Edmund Randall is given credit for the overall supervision of construction. The engineers were J. B. Converse & Co. and A. C. Polk of Mobile and Birmingham. The contractors were: Dunn Construction Company and John S. Hodgson Company of Birmingham and Montgomery. The American Rolling Mill Company (Armco) assisted in the design and fabrication of special forms used by the contractors. The Engineering News-Record article provided a sequence of photographs that documents the methods of igloo construction used at Anniston Ordnance Depot.

These are joined with complementary views from a photographic essay published in a edition of The Highway Magazine, published by the members of Armco Drainage Products Association, Middletown, Ohio.90 The following presents a sequential depiction of igloo construction drawn from these sources. Machine excavation of each igloo site was the first task accomplished. Hand excavation was confined to the digging of trenches for the arch tension ties. Once the foundation was excavated and a form in place, low slump concrete was brought into the site by truck and then distributed by wheelbarrows. The igloo had an inverted T-shape footing, eight feet wide at its base. The foundation extended more than eight feet into the ground below the finished floor surface.

A clay tile drain was situated parallel with the igloo's long walls. A level floor with four inch wide edge gutters is denoted unlike the sloped floor suggested in Michaelson's design. Two copper cable ties run the width of the concrete floor underlain by a 12 inch by 12 inch concrete tie beam. Inside pressed metal arch forms were then set in place. A "dolly" and "elevator" were used by the Anniston workers to assemble these forms into the arch. These were described as innovations used at Anniston. Forty-three sets were required for each igloo. These forms were quarter circles of Armco heavy-duty corrugated tunnel liner plates that were cased with an exterior skin sheet to provide a smooth surface for easier concrete adhesion.

The tunnel liner plates were marketed by the newly incorporated Armco Drainage Products for fast and easily assembled tunnels. This technology was easily converted by the Armco firm to accommodate the new magazine design. The concrete arch was created in sections. The concrete was poured in by cranes which took concrete from transit mixers. An article on igloo construction at a Naval Ammunition Depot near Hawthorne, Nevada, notes that the concrete strength for the 89 ngineering News Record,"Igloos for Munitions Storage", 90The Highway Magazine, "Igloo' Construction Speeded at Anniston by Modified Forms of Tunnel Lining." Vol. 32, October FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page33) Nevada examples was specified at pounds, and 6 1I4 gallons of water per sack of cement was used.91 The strength used at Anniston was not identified. As concrete was placed, 3 feet wide panels were set in place on the arches exterior and held by quick fastening wedge bolts between adjoining 18 inch plates. A section through the arch form would show the corrugated skin plate, concrete arch, and outer paneling in plan. The outside form and the 36 inch section of the inside were designed for early removal, leaving the 18 inch wide panels as the arch's support. The headwall and counterfort forms were then constructed. As the article notes, this part of the job went quickly as every piece was labeled and fast acting ties were used. The back wall was hot counterforted.

Once constructed, the igloo magazine was then waterproofed then covered with earth. It is of interest that the discussion in both journal articles ends with a constructed but unfinished building, each citing the innovation in engineering and in product development the igloo represented. Another view is taken in the Anniston Ordnance-Depot historical report. The report describes three problems faced in igloo construction at Anniston, namely ventilation, waterproofing, and problems with the Armco steel forms: One of the most annoying difficulties which was encountered in the construction of the ordnance depots throughout the United States during the year was that caused by uncertainty as to standardized igloo magazine design.

The original drawings furnished by the Office of the Chief of Ordnance contained details that were not in accordance with common civilian engineering practice. These peculiarities, not all of which were defensible, were immediately noticed by officers of the Corps of Engineers and officials of the Construction Division, as well as by Architect Engineers and contractors in the field, and a flood of suggestions relative to alterations poured into Washington. One of the most serious discussions was that involved in whether or not to ventilate igloos. Decision was finally made that all magazines were to be ventilated but this decision was not reached until 419 igloos had been constructed at Anniston.... Another difficulty ...

was that of determining the correct type and method of application of the igloo waterproofing membranes. The method used at Anniston consisted in applying three plies of felt with hot coal tar pitch, and protecting these with fabric saturated with coal tar pitch. During the hottest summer days the pitch became so soft that the fabric began to slide and wrinkle and even tear, and it was necessary to whitewash the exteriors of the arches to reflect the sunlight. The steel forms used, while relatively light and convenient, seem to have been insufficiently stiff and as a result there was difficulty in pouring arches with a smooth interior surface.

The melting point of the tar was increased from 140 degrees F to 145 degrees to 150 degrees F and this improved matters.92 91cotter, "Naval Ammunition Depot Near Hawthorne, Nev., Built To Serve the Pacific Coast", 92 Anniston Ordnance Depot, Historical Report of the Organization and Activities of Anniston Ordnance Depot, Alabama, fanuary 1, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page34) Initially, the problems with obtaining a smooth interior surface were legion. Some igloos at Anniston were considered substandard as moisture collected in areas where the contractors were unable to create a smooth interior surface despite the Armco panels. Moisture was to be avoided given the materials to be stored.

The historical report discusses other problems with igloo construction but states that once a standard of workmanship was established, construction proceeded more smoothly. Delays in the work at Anniston Ordnance Depot stemmed from having the same contractors working at both Fort McClellan and at the new ordnance depot'Y3 Fort McClellan's igloos were the first completed but as the following discussion shows their construction did not prepare the contractors for the larger more difficult job at Anniston depot. The igloo magazines at Fort McClellan bore only a formal resemblance to the Anniston depot examples. The Fort McClellan igloos were built with expedience in mind and with a design that provided a closer fit with the field depots' actual ammunition storage needs.

Fort McClellan was a training camp not a regional depot. In essence, they were scaled down versions of their Anniston Ordnance Depot counterparts. Real property records from indicate that the Fort McClellan igloos were considered temporary not permanent buildings. This classification is not noted in subsequent real property records nor are igloo magazines discussed in World War II Temporary Military Buildings.94 Plus, the magazines on these cards do not correspond in dimension to the extant buildings. The sizes given were much smaller and uniform than the buildings recorded. Thus, it appears that some changes in type and design occurred at Fort McClellan that is not described in the records.

While each was built with concrete floors and foundations, the arch and end walls were fully constructed of sheet metal. The extent of the foundations is unknown as no plans were found that illustrate the buildings' footprint. However, communication with contractors responsible for the demolition of the igloos indicates that the extent of the concrete foundation uncovered was much larger than had been expected given the size of the above ground structure. Perhaps the plans for the footings and foundation followed the design of the permanent igloos despite other changes in construction. Or the confusion with the igloos standard design may simply have been translated into an oversize and unnecessary foundation.

Finally, changes in igloo types scheduled to be built at Fort McClellan may have resulted in this disparity. Corrugated Armco MULTI-PLATE metal sheets were used for the igloo's barrel. MULTI-PLATE, a heavy curved corrugated metal section, was developed in by Armco to serve as wide diameter culverts. This technology was adopted by the Army for use in temporary igloos and probably in portable examples for all the reasons the advertisement boasts, particularly ease of assembly. Steelox metal sections also manufactured by Armco were bolted together for the end walls. The head wall was not counterforted. The barrel arch was bolted to the end walls; the head wall was furnished with a door. 93Jbid., 5. 94carner, World War II Temporary Military Building,.

FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page35) The lack of an "as built" drawing leaves in question the character Of the waterproof membrane and its application in the Fort McClellan igloos. Demolition data suggests that it was much like that used at Anniston Ordnance Depot, namely three plies of felt applied with hot coal tar pitch as a fixative. The igloos were then covered with earth. A small number of Fort McClellan's igloos were barricaded. The barricades were rectangular in form or semi-circular. The barricade at Building located 17 feet from the igloo's door, was 40 feet by 28 feet. A plan indicates that all the barricades were composed of earth faced on the shorter sides with a vertical wall of railroad ties.

95 Rods imbedded in the earth at four foot intervals ran the length of the berm connecting the two walls. The Fort McClellan examples once again show a scaled down version of what appeared at ordnance depots where metal barricade walls were employed in barricade construction (The Highway Magazine 96 In addition to the change within magazine design, the spacing between magazines was also considered technically important. A naval board of inquiry following the Lake Denmark explosion helped to establish formulas for high-explosive spacing. Captain E. R. Gayler (C.E.C.), U.S.N. was a senior member of this board and the igloo magazine is also attributed to him.

The Gaylor board used five formulas in which "d" equals distance in feet and "Q" the quantity of explosives in pounds, stored in one building to assure safe storage: 1) Where conditions permit complete protection to inhabited buildings, to the extent that breaking of windows will be practically eliminated, d= 34 x square root of Q 2) Where a small measure of damage is unavoidable, d= 15x square root of Q 3) For the protection of plant buildings not containing explosives, x square root Q 4) For distance between well-constructed magazines containing similar kinds of explosives, to prevent structural damage, d=2 x square root Q 5) For the prevention of induced, sympathetic or near sympathetic explosions between magazines with barricades, d= 0.2 x square root The first four formulas gave acceptable distances without barricades.

If the latter were present, these distances could be halved. Only Formulas 1 through 3 were based on known givens; Formulas 4 and 5 still had to be verified by large scale tests. The spacing intervals set by the Gayler board were used in designing magazine layouts. 95 Office of the Post Engineer, Modifications to Ammo. Igloo Barricades-Area 44, (Fort McClellan, AL, 96The Highway Magazine, "Igloo' Construction Speeded at Anniston by Modified Forms of Tunnel Lining," Vol. 32, October 97cotter, "Naval Ammunition Depot Near Hawthorne, Nev., Built To Serve the Pacific Coast, " 805 FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page36) At Hawthorne, the igloos were grouped in seven and sited in a hexagonal pattern with 600 feet apart.

Each hexagonal group was spaced feet from the next group. This spacing would allow a maximum loss of explosives stored only in one group, which was estimated to be percent of all the explosives stored.98 These formulas had meaning for the new construction within the Magazine Area at Fort McClellan in The Construction Quartermaster and engineers and contractors chose to extend Second Avenue to the northeast hugging Reservoir Ridge. Two other unnamed roads are shown. The first parallels Second Avenue while the second began to ring the southeastern portion of the ridge. There was little room for expansion in the Magazine Area's immediate surrounds. A coal storage yard accompanied by asphalt melting tanks and a Divisional Parade Field was situated to the west.

A rifle instruction circle was located to the north. Each of these were potentially threatened or threatened the magazine area, thus safety distances were plotted. Similarly, a foot safety zone for missile distances for Class 4 explosives was gauged. The new construction within the Magazine Area corresponded with the safety distances cited above. The igloos were over 300 feet apart as opposed to the World War I buildings, which were built at 120 and 115 foot intervals. Notably, correspondence suggested that the spacing between these buildings be increased at that time. This suggestion was not acted upon in the late and the expansion precluded that undertaking.

Historical Summary The first generation of magazines at Fort McClellan were standard depot types, rectangular in character and uniform in construction. Aligned along the tip of the railroad spur approximately a mile and a half from the main building area, it was part of the original layout. Despite assessments that they were in poor condition, no improvements were made. A request made in for four new magazines produced only one. Building an architectural sibling to the earlier examples, was added to the ammunition storage point in The onset of World War II changed the Army's lethargic attitude toward the ammunition storage situation at Fort McClellan and nine igloos magazines were added.

Two references for a new design under construction at Yorktown Naval Mine Depot, now Yorktown Naval Weapons Center, appear in The first appears in Engineering News-Record, the second in Ammunition Storage Conditions, a summary of results of the joint board asked to survey ammunition storage conditions. Plans for this "new design" dated October are still on file at Yorktown. These indicate that the igloo desi:::;n was created by J. M. Michaelson under the auspices of the Navy. Other names associated with its are Captain E. R. Gaylor (C.E.C.) U.S.N. and Commander N. M. Smith (C.E.C.) U.S.N.

A joint board of the Army and Navy, established as a result of the above Ammunition Storage Study and in which Captain Gaylor took part, probably enabled its transference and diffusion through the two arms of the military99. 98Jbid., 99Engineering News Record, "Naval Construction Activities," Vol No 3, Ammunitions Storage Condtions, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page37) The examples of igloo magazines at Fort McOellan represent a scaled down version of the standard igloo design as represented in the Michaelson drawings or those constructed at Anniston Ordnance Depot in They were tailored to suit the fort's less demanding ammunition storage needs and were built with a strong emphasis on expediency..

While their foundations and footings may have closely resembled their Anniston Ordnance depot counterparts, their above ground construction employed a dramatically different technology. Instead of concrete, the Fort McOellan examples were composed of metal. Culvert and tunnel technology that used these specially designed, preformed metal sections was easily adapted for this use, particularly by firms such as Armco who benefited financially from this marriage of need to available technology. MULTI-PLATE sections were used in their barrel arches while Steelox sections were used for the end walls. Both products were manufactured by Armco. The same scaling down occurred in barricade construction.

Metal barricade walls were eschewed and earthen berms faced with vertical walls of railroad ties were used to hold down costs by using readily available sources. These products allowed the Army to quickly and efficiently assemble a group of much needed ammunition storage buildings in a cost effective manner. The wartime demands for the conservation of materials, especially steel, which had been designated a strategic material, led to design modifications and the use of alternative materials. The problems with the standardization of the igloo, cited above, probably stemmed from these changes.

In spite of these problems, thousands of igloo magazines were constructed in It is ironic that the next year brought about the Corbetta beehive, a new magazine design that used half the steel, one-third the copper, and two-thirds of the concrete for the same volume of stor9ge provided by the standard igloo.100 These savings plus those attained in labor and a new system of ventilation, posed the next big change in magazine design. lOOMacLeay,"Concrete Beehive for Munitions Storage", FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page38) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL I DESCRIPTNE INFORMATION Ammunition Supply Area Layout Fort McClellan's ammunition supply buildings are clustered at the foot of Reservoir Ridge and south of Cave Creek on the northeastern perimeter of the main building area.

Situated at some distance from the military community, Reservoir Ridge acts as the Ammunition Supply Area's eastern boundary and also defines a portion of its northern extent. The pine-forested ridge and the flat lands to the west and north, which are also covered in pines and heavy vegetation provide a sense of enclosure. The perimeter of the area is bounded with six foot high chain link fencing and lights mounted on telephone poles which are equally spaced along the fence's interior. The treeline begins fairly close to the perimeter fence which is capped with spiraled wire. Restricted Area signs are prominent. An open space to the south of the fence is a partial remnant of a historic coal storage yard. Only gravel and some trash dumpsters refer to this former usage.

A railroad spur and Second Avenue offer the only access to this restricted area which is stewarded by contractors housed in a temporary frame building that lies directly outside and to the south of the enclosure. The Ammunition Supply Area has a partially dendritic shape. It contains 17 ammunition supply buildings and powderhouses, that are situated along the northern end of Second Avenue and two unnamed, non-connecting roads. The latter are unimproved. Second Avenue, known historically as Magazine Road, is a paved dogleg, terminating in a dead end. Further access to the area is provided by a railroad spur that leads northwa~d from the Warehouse Supply Area and curves around the magazines that lie west of Second Avenue. The railroad lies within 4.7 feet of the magazines it serves.

The pre-World War II magazines (Buildings are characteristically aligned with the railroad spur and Second Avenue, sandwiched between the rails and the road. The former was used to import ammunition in quantity when the railroad was the principal means of transportation, while the latter was probably initially used for service functions. This trend later changed as trucks superseded trains and Second Avenue gained primacy over the railroad spur. Each magazine located by the railroad has a concrete dock to facilitate the unloading of munitions. The six early magazines are modest, erect, either rectangular or square buildings with gable roofs, resembling small barns or storehouses. They are physically ordered one after another in a straight line along the railroad spur.

Only Building a powderhouse, located west of the railroad track at the beginning of the curve in Second A venue, departs from this geographical pattern. In addition to their homogeneity in form and location, the early magazines' shared chronology is further underscored by the use of color. Each pre-World War II magazine is stuccoed in a creamy beige color and accented by dark brown. This architectural and visual continuity ends where Second A venue begins to curve to the northeast. The row of early magazines is followed by three earthen-covered, inverted, half barrel-shaped igloo magazines (Buildings that follow the alignment and cadence set by the barn type magazines.

The cadence of the igloos is essentially the same but their unconventional form juxtaposed with the character of the older magazines is visually jarring. While the latter resemble small barns or storehouses, the igloos, due to their earthen cover and shape, are more akin to prehistoric mounds. This juxtaposition is further heightened by the size of the igloos which overwhelm their World War I counterparts. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page39) Overall, there are nine historic igloos within the Ammunition Supply Area. Buildings and follow the World War I magazines between Second Avenue and the railroad spur. Their presence is masked by Second Avenue's northeast curve.

Two other igloos are located at the end of Second Avenue, Building of World War II vintage, and Building a non-historic igloo. The former is situated to the south of Second A venue. The remaining buildings, numbered and are situated on the unnamed roads which reach up into the ridge. Buildings and are situated on a road that parallels Second Avenue while Buildings and located on a second dogleg, are built directly into Reservoir Ridge. Building is 281 feet east of Building at the foot of the unnamed road that parallels Second Avenue. The entries to four of the historic igloos are accompanied by earthen barricades created out of earth and railroad ties.

These are Buildings and As the previous section discusses, these barricades were constructed in accordance with safety procedures to better secure safe storage of particular ammunition. The initial layout of the Ammunition Supply Area can be credited to the Construction Quartermaster and engineers that established Camp McClellan in Their plan devolved upon an association of the railroad spur with the magazines within an area that was buffered from the main building area. The railroad spur was crucial as it tied the isolated area into the new camp's main transportation artery and allowed it to function within Camp McClellan's Ordnance Depot. Topography was also a consideration. Accordingly, the most level area was chosen for the first magazines and the railbed.

Its subsequent growth was a product of World War II. The outer buffer zone established in was still intact in The main challenge was to expand the magazine area using standardized safety distances without compromising the utility of earlier magazines and by fully using the land available. Much of the latter is Reservoir Ridge. Research has shown that where new magazine areas' were being laid out in World War II contexts, standard layouts were followed.

Groups of seven magazines were placed in a hexagonal pattern with one building at each angle of the perimeter and one in the center at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Hawthorne, Nevada in A distance of 600 feet between each unit was used to discourage induced or sympathetic explosions within the group.IOI Such an organization was not attainable at Fort McClellan, where a functional area was already in existence and to a certain extent already defined. Adequate safety distances and topography were the factors that guided the situation of the nine World War II igloos. Building Inventory Three types of buildings are contained within the proposed Ammunition Supply historic district. They include pre-World War II standard depot or ordnance magazines, powderhouses, and World War II igloos.

These buildings offer a tirneline of early twentieth-century ammunition and munitions storage design that is underscored in their physical order. Buildings through were built in December of as part of Camp McClellan. Historic maps do not show Building in place until and the 101cotter, "Naval Ammunition Depot Near Hawthorne, Nev., Built To Serve the Pacific Coast". FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 40) igloo magazines (Buildings were constructed during World War II. Buildings and are treated in more depth than their counterparts because they were documented to HABS/HAER standards. All of the buildings within the Ammunition Supply Area are discussed to provide a balanced view of the landscape they represent.

The historic maps indicate that building numbers have changed over time and the current photographs show that the managers of the Ammunition Supply Area have an internal, sequential numbering system that does not correspond to the official building numbers. The magazines will be referenced in this document by their official building number. Building This is a one and a half story gable roof building that is rectangular in plan, measuring 27 feet 6 inches by 43 feet 44 inches. The foundation and floor are poured reinforced concrete, while the walls are composed of structural clay tile filled with sand and covered on the exterior with reinforced concrete. The roof is composed of a wooden truss system covered by corrugated metal and asbestos.

Lightning rods are mounted on two turrets affixed to the gable. A poured concrete platform measuring 8 feet by 28 feet accessed by concrete steps is located on the west side of the building. The platform is 3 feet 11 inches off the ground. A set of metal plated doors, located in the center of the gable wall, provide interior access. The walls are one foot thick. The rectangular interior, 25 feet 6 inches by 41feet44 inches, is open for maximum storage potential. A small window shuttered with fitted metal doors is located on the east elevation. Small foundation vents are visible at the ground level on the north and south elevations, four on the north and five on the south. Two other foundation vents were noted under the concrete dock.

The building's number is stenciled onto the south elevation and signage is attached to alert workers and visitors about the building's contents. It is located 100 feet north of the south enclosure and 115 feet from Building Real property records identify this building as a "Standard Magazine" or a Magazine" built according to Plan No. created by the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General in Building was constructed in May of as an ordnance magazine with square footage. Construction costs totaled the contractor's name is not noted. A Master Plan map does not show this magazine in place but a map shows this building in its current location. This appears to be the only magazine of its type built at Fort McClellan.

Correspondence dating to contains a recommendation that four ordnance magazines, based on standard plan be built at Fort McClellan to complement or replace existing magazines. A fenced enclosure was an additional improvement mentioned. According to the recommendation, such a project would be funded in a revised budget of the War Department Housing program for Fort McClellan. However, the possibility of future appropriations was considered "very indefinite."102 102Adjutant General's Office, Miscellaneous .. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE.AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 41) Building constructed two years later and based upon the suggested plan, was the only ordnance magazine to materialize from this resolution. Building This is an upright, one and a half story building with a gable roof.

Square in plan, it measures 19 feet 9 inches on a side. The foundation is poured reinforced concrete and its walls are frame which have been stuccoed on the exterior. The gable has a full length monitor-like ridge vent. A wooden truss system supports the roof, which is covered with corrugated metal and asphalt shingles. Lightning rods and grounding cables are strung along the ridge vent cable. Located below each cable end is a loading platform to enable deliveries from either truck or by rail. The platform adjacent to the railroad spur is concrete, measuring 10 feet by 20 feet. It is open under the dock. A wooden platform, 7.6 feet by 20 feet, is located on the east elevation facing Second A venue.

Metal doors on both gable ends access the interior which is an open square measuring 18 feet 9 inches to a side. There are no windows nor were any vents noticed. The east elevation has concrete stairs leading to the dock and a handrail. No standardized plan was identified for this building. The real property records show that it was built as a magazine in December of and that it was originally labeled as Building or The building, which offered 400 square feet of storage cost to construct. The original roof was simply clad in cement and paper and the wooden platform on the east elevation was roughly made. An historic photograph also shows the numbering system in when it was known as Magazine 4.

A "HIGH EXPLOSNES" warning sign was posted over the doorway that faced Second Avenue and a rough pole with attached wiring was stationed adjacent to the wooden platform. This magazine is unique within the sample of World War I magazines at Fort McClellan and represents one of the few remaining buildings at Fort McClellan that dates to World War!. Buildings These buildings are era magazines that are identical in plan, style, and form. Accordingly, they are treated as a group even though only Buildings and have been documented to HABS Level I standards. While Building was not the focus of that level of study, the data garnered from its counterparts is germane. These magazines are rectangular in plan, measuring on their exterior 24 feet by 60 feet.

From ground level to apex of gable, they are 22 feet in height on their east elevation. 'The floors and foundation are concrete while the building is frame finished with stucco. An asbestos shingled gable roof with a ridge vent is present. Metal cable supports for the grounding cable and lighting rods are affixed to the ridge vent. In addition, four metal cable supports are located on the roof of the east and west elevations to guarantee better protection to both sides of the building and to help guide the cable to the ground. In terms of fenestration and door openings, the east and west elevations are identical. Fenestration is confined to two small rectangular windows that are positioned under the eaves. Each window has safety bars and is fitted with a storm window.

Centrally located doorways featuring double metal doors are located opposite from each other on the east and west elevations. The double doors on the east elevation of FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 42) Building and both sets of doors on Building have sheet metal exteriors with an interior facing of plywood. Only one set of doors vary from this and these are located on the west elevation of Building Their exterior is clad in corrugated sheet metal while the interior of the doors, almost barnlike, are faced with tongue and groove horizontal planks. The doors are not side hinged but essentially hung on a metal rod connected to a pulley that allowed them to open to each side in an almost drape-like fashion. This device allowed maximum access.

When open, the door's lower edges were kept close to the wall by metal guards and kick plates were attached to the interior door bases to discourage wear. An iron latch secured the west doors from the interior while an attached lock handled security on the exterior of the east doors. A poured, concrete loading platform is located on the west elevation of each. The platform's height duplicates the height of a railroad storage car's bay so that ammunition could be efficiently off loaded and stored. The platform is open beneath the dock. No platform was necessary on the east elevation as Buildings through were intentionally banked, allowing easy access from the road. The interior is open, measuring approximately 22 by 58 feet. The wall thickness is 12 inches.

The interior walls are unfinished. Instead rough boards, 12 inches by 2 inches, placed horizontally from the floor to a height of 6 feet, are nailed to the studs. Initials and other graffiti were randomly carved on the horizontal planks. Above the board area on each wall, the metal lathing is visible. The ceiling is incomplete in each of the documented buildings. Where it exists, it is composed of tongue and groove planking. The holes in the ceiling show a wooden truss supporting the roof. The competence of ~he truss must have been in question as both buildings had metal rods added to shore up the roof system. These rods, visible only through the gaps in the ceilings, extend from the east to the west side of the buildings.

Further bracing was warranted in Building as four cables, approximately 5/8 inches in diameter connect the building's long walls. The concrete floor is seamed and the three magazines were never electrified. The real property records do not refer to a standardized plan for these buildings and an original drawing was not found within Fort McClellan's engineering files. They are referred to in this report as "standard magazines" as identical buildings are referred to as such in period military correspondence)03 Real property records note that the three magazines were completed in December of each costing A historical report written by Lieutenant John Mumford Palmer in on the History of the Ordnance Depot, Camp McClellan, Alabama, states an earlier completion date for the three magazines.

Palmer notes that they were completed in early October of and that a large platform was constructed in November "at the magazines" to accommodate rounds of artillery ammunition that the newly built magazines could not accommodate. Moreover, the floor of one of the magazines had already cracked under the weight of the ammunition which had been piled to the roof.104 103Palmer, The Issue of Ordnance Materiel the Field Depots Supply Division Ordnance Dept. History with 10 Exhibits .. l041bid .. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 43) The condition of these magazines continued to deteriorate according to available records.

Correspondence dating to located within the Adjutant General Central Files states that the four extant magazines were temporary structures that had sagging floors, deteriorating support timbers, and roofs in constant need of expensive maintenance. As Buildings and through were the only extant magazines at that time, they were the buildings referenced. Real Property Records Form) from list Buildings as temporary structures. Current real property records, however, identify all three as permanent buildings and a second set of historic forms also list these buildings as permanent.

The correspondence suggested that the distances between this set of magazines should be increased "to provide for the maximum quantities of explosives which may be anticipated in future storage due to changing conditions." This suggestion was not acted upon as the distances between the buildings remained static from to the present. The addition of supports and cables to Building were aimed at rectifying some of the problems mentioned. These buildings are denoted on the map as Buildings It is probable that Building which was first known as Building was the first of the set to be built. These buildings formed the core of the World War I ammunition storage unit at Camp McClellan, and are indicative of this period's "best practice" in ammunition storage.

Building This m~gazine is a small brick building, measuring 8 feet by 10 feet on the exterior. The foundation is brick and the walls are brick laid in common bond with header courses every fourth course. The gable roof is covered with galvanized metal and a partial gable vent. Lightning rods and grounding cables are in evidence. A metal sheeted doorway accented by a row lock arch provides the only access. A cement step lies outside the doorway. The interior is an open space measuring 6 feet by 8 feet now used for storage. The wood ceiling is composed of two by fours and the floor is brick. Current real property records describe a no longer extant building, Building which is described as a detached magazine.

This building was demolished sometime after A Real Property record for then temporary Building has a correct description for the current Building but has old Building photograph incorrectly attached. Current Building is identified by its standardized plan as a powder magazine and this is corroborated in the real property records. Built in December for a cost of it offered 70 square feet of storage space. It is the only magazine located west of the railroad spur and it is shown on che map as Building This building is the only World War I era powderhouse that survives at Fort McClellan. Buildings through This group of buildings comprise the historic igloo magazines built in at the onset of World War II.

Current real property records indicate that they were constructed according to Quartermaster General Plan 652-354-Igloo, and are considered permanent buildings. A set of real property records on file at the Military Archives at Suitland from however classify them as temporary buildings. As will be discussed below the real property cards dimensional data does not match the standing buildings' dimensions. Instead they refer to buildings that were much smaller FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 44) and were more uniform in size. Hence, the information they contain is suspect and the classification of these buildings as temporary unsubstantiated.

The standardized plan used in Buildings though construction was not on file at Fort McClellan nor at other military archives contacted. Given that these buildings are uniform in construction, they are described as a group using the photographs, plan, and profile of Building as a representative example. Plans and elevations, as well as other architectural details for Buildings and are provided in the documentation package. The igloo magazines at Fort McClellan are earth-covered metal structures with interior rectangular plans. Their poured concrete foundations are separate from the exterior frame and feature edge gutters along the igloos' long, parallel walls. As no plans were located for these buildings, the best information on the building's footprint comes from demolition data.

Demolition of two of these igloos has revealed an unexpectedly large foundation of sufficient size that the contractor involved requested additional funding to complete the demolition process. The arch and head and end walls are composed of metal sections. Corrugated sheet metal, known as MULTI-PLATE, was used in the arches. MULTI-PLATE was the product of the American Rolling Mill of Ohio (Armco) which first developed these heavy corrugated sections bolted together to serve as wide diameter culverts in 1931.lOS As discussed earlier, it appears that this technology was modified and used at Fort McClellan to construct the arched portion of the igloos.

The MULTI-PLATE sections in Building and in other buildings were stamped with the trade name, "Ingot Iron," a 3 ounce steel coating that was patented in by Armco. The arch section was bolted to the head and end wall, a water proof "membrane" was applied and the arch covered with earth. Information gathered from the demolition of two of the study buildings has indicated that this membrane consisted of coats of tar and pitch. Research has established that the igloos at Anniston Ordnance Depot were waterproofed with three plies of felt applied with hot coal tar pitch (Anniston Ordnance Depot, Historical Report Fort McClellan's igloos may have been similarly treated as they shared the same contractor and the felt may have disintegrated over time.

The head and end walls are constructed of 12 overlapped, vertical strips of flat sheet metal bolted together. These sheets, known as Steelox metal sections, were also produced by Armco. Metal flashing finishes the exposed or upper edge of these walls. Buildings and feature an oversized metal door that has a rectangular vent on the lower right hand comer. This oversize door is centrally located in the headwall providing the only access to the building. A vent pipe projects on an angle from the end walls. Lightning rods are mounted behind the head and end walls and a grounding cable extends downward above and around the door. All of the igloos are 105 L. J.

Brown, "Armco Steel - Middletown Works Chronological Index,".( Middletown, OH, AK Steel), 106 Anniston Ordnance Depot, Historical Report of the Organization and Activities of Anniston Ordnance Depot, Alabama, FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 45) further protected by a mast type air terminal mounted on a treated telephone pole located at each igloo. Fire extinguishers are also attached to the exterior head walls. The interiors of Buildings and are open. The sole light source stems from the open door. The only interior features are the floor's edge gutters and wooden frame supports that are centrally positioned to provide additional support to the building's arches.

Comparative standardized drawings and published data suggest that the arch of the standard igloo magazine had a 10 foot radius. It is assumed that Fort McClellan's examples were built according to this standard. However, as no plans were found this may not have been the case. Currently, Building arch has a seven foot radius while Building's and arches were recorded as 6 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 8 inches, respectively. The interior bracing was needed to forestall the sagging of the arches but the real property records do not note when the bracing was added. The immediate surroundings of each igloo varies. These are mound-like berms constructed of railroad ties and earth that provide protection to the headwall and entry area.

The presence of a barricade was dictated by the type of explosives or ammunition the magazine was assigned to store. The barricade for Building was 10 feet high and 40 feet by 28 feet in when modifications were made. The barricade is essentially a grass-covered earthen berm with two ends buttressed with an 8 feet high wall of railroad ties. These walls are joined by rods imbedded in the berm. Buildings and are barricaded in this manner but with different size berms. A concrete loading dock accompanies the igloos situated along the railroad spur and Building Building ramp is 3 feet in height. Ramps were created for easy access for'' trucks. Building offers an example of this type of entry. Buildings through do not have loading docks. Their entry is at ground level.

Finally, the igloos not on the railroad spur and share one trait - a sympathy with existing topography. Building is built along the northern ridgeline of Reservoir Ridge while Buildings and are built directly into the ridge. Building and like are built along the ridgeline that parallels Second Avenue, creating a tiered effect within the Ammunition Supply Area. Data from the Real Property Records for these buildings is presented in the following table which lists the building's square footage, the building's dimensions and a description of distinguishing traits for each. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No.

AL-988 (page 46) _!g_loo Magazine Descriptions Building# Square Feet Dimensions Description 976 24' x Magazine has metal head and end walls, earth barricade, and a concrete dock. Arch is constructed of corrugated iron plates. Has lightning rods, angled ventilator pipe, and oversized door. Interior features include added wooden bracing, gutters paralleling long walls of concrete floor. Trademark for "Ingot Iron" produced by Armco faintly stamped on interior plates. Completed January costing Contractor's name not given. Plan No. 652-354-Igloo, used for design, plan not found. 976 24' x Interior and exterior duplicates Building except it is not barricaded. Has three foot high concrete dock with ramp on southern elevation. Has lightning rod mounted on telephone pole on southeast elevation.

Built in January for Contractor's name not given. Plan No. 652-354-Igloo,6119-186.5 used for design, plan not found. 976 24' x Extensively renovated in Head and end walls have been replaced with reinforced concrete and new corrugated arch with 10 foot radius added to existing foundation. Steel double door with vents added. Ventilator pipe updated and placed in front of end wall. Has a larger concrete dock than that is accessed by a earthen ramp. Detached signs posted on stakes indicate the nature of its contents. Building number "8" is dearly painted on its door and metal barrels and wooden platforms rest on its dock. Built in January for Contractor's name not given. Plan No. 652-354-Igloo, used for design, plan not found.

Renovations followed Plan The renovation slightly changed the building's interior measurements to 20' x It's exterior including the projections of the head and end walls measures 40' by FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 47) 976 24' x Description duplicates Building As noted, the barricade historically associated with this building has been removed. An earthen ramp leads to its concrete dock. Built in January for Contractor's name not given. Plan No. 652-354-Igloo, used for design, plan not found. 480 20' x 24' Same construction details as Building Interior also has internal frame supports. Unlike other igloos, entry (marked is barricaded with a cup shape berm. No dock or elevation is needed for access. Built in January for it was designed using Plan No.

652-354-Igloo, plan not found. 968 24' x Same construction details as Building and interior bracing present. Exterior barricade present with cup form; ground entry. Built in January for it was designed using Plan No. 354-Igloo, plan not found. 968 24' x Same construction details as Building and interior bracing present. Level access area ; no barricade. Has lighting rod mounted on telephone pole on north elevation. Built in January for it was designed using Plan No. 354-Igloo, plan not found. 264 11' x 24' Same construction as Building major differences are its size and its situation on Reservoir Ridge. Built in January for it was designed using Plan No. 652-354-Igloo, plan not found.

264 11' x 24' Same construction as Building major differences are its size and its situation on Reservoir Ridge. Built in January for it was designed using Plan No. 652-354-Igloo, .eian not found. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 48) Historic property records and current property records do not agree on the igloos' dimensions. The dimensions given above were taken from the current real property data as the architectural recordation indicated that they were correct. The historic property data may reflect the desired sizes that were planned for in Presumably, changes were made to accommodate the site and its topography.

For example, Igloos through are listed on one form as a 20 feet by 40 feet 4 inches building whereas there are actually three different sizes represented within those six magazines. Buildings and not only share in their uniform construction but in their state of preservation. Each has been altered to forestall sagging of their respective arches. In contrast, Buildings and were extensively renovated in Twelve inch thick, reinforced concrete head and end walls capped with aluminum flashing replaced the original metal end walls. A new corrugated metal arch with a 10 feet radius was added to the existing concrete foundation. Double steel doors accented with a concrete lintel and featuring high security hasps, heavy duty hinges, and air vents, four feet in length, were part of this renovation.

Essentially, only the site of the original igloos is preserved in Buildings and FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 49) PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION This study draws upon previous research that was conducted by New South Associates for a cultural resource overview of Fort McClellan and an architectural inventory of its buildings. This previous work established the installation's pre-federal history and its subsequent transformation from a rural agrarian landscape into a military installation and community. The architectural inventory identified all buildings that were constructed prior to and provided a context for this development. The inventory did not, however, focus on the Ammunition Supply Area, which was restricted from study at that time.

This study called for building-specific information, as well as the development of a historic context for the design and construction of World War I and World War II ammunition storage buildings. The most salient information on the study buildings was contained within Fort McClellan's real property records, engineering drawings, and historical map collection. The first were located in Fort McClellan's Real Property Office. "As built" drawings and historic maps were located in the plans on file at the Directorate of Engineering. The real property records included historic photographs and construction histories for each building.

The as built plans that were found for some of the buildings provided data on how the buildings were originally constructed, their appearance after construction, and how they changed over time. Historic maps documented the processes that guided the site selection for the Ammunition Supply Area and, in a more specific sense, the site of each magazine. The data used in the preparation of the context came from many sources. Research was carried out at the National Archives at Suitland, Maryland, and Washington, The collections at the Ordnance History Office at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, we~e also consulted.

The materials reviewed at Suitland included primary documents on the Lake Denmark explosion, Ordnance Department memorandums, letters and historical reports, and finally period journals such as Ordnance Magazine. The documents reviewed in Washington and Virginia were culled from the footnotes and references found in U.S. Army in World War II, The Technical Series. Three volumes from this series had specific references to the development of the igloo magazine: The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States, authored by Lenore Fine and Jesse A. Remington, The Ordnance Department: Planning Munitions for War by Constance Green, Harry C. Thomson and Peter Roots, and finally, The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply, by Harry C.

Thomson and Linda Mayo, Secondary research was carried out at Georgia Institute of Technology's Main Library, which had a complete series of the Engineering News Record, an important nineteenth and twentieth-century engineering journal. Emory University's Government Document Section yielded several important documents on the development of safety distances for ammunition storage as well as a Congressional review of the Army and Navy's munitions and their storage. Plans and photographs of the original igloo magazine were located at Yorktown Naval Weapons Center and copies were collected.

AK Steel Corporation, a descendant of the nineteenth-century American Rolling Mill Company, was contacted for historical data on the Armco steel plates that were used in the construction of three of the study buildings. Finally, oral information was given to New South Associates from the contractors and engineers involved with the demolition of the buildings. Their information about the igloo's foundations was key to our understanding of how these buildings took form. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 50) References Cited: Adjutant General's Office Miscellaneous, Fort McClellan, December National Archives, Military Reference, Suitland, Md. American Public Works Administration 197 6 History of Public Works in the United States, Ellis L.

Armstrong ed., American Public Works Association, Chicago, Il. Ammunition Storage Conditions Letter from the Joint Board Composed of Officers of the Army and Navy to Survey Ammunition Storage Conditions Pursuant to the Act Approved December 22, Congress, 1st Section, House Of Representatives, Document No. Anniston Ordnance Depot Historical Report of the Organization and Activities of Anniston Ordnance Depot, Alabama, January 1. National Archives, RG Entry No. Box A Military Reference, Suitland, Md. Anniston Star "Fort McClellan Prepares for Army Day." Sunday, March 31. Arnold and Barrow Architects Architectural Evaluation: Buildings Built Between and Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Report on deposit with Mobile Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Al.

Assheton, Ralph, compiler History of Explosions On Which the American Table of Distances was Based Including Other Explosions of Large Quantities of Explosives. Institute of Makers of Explosives. On file, Ordnance Museum Technical Library, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. Atlanta Journal Fifth Anny Poster, April 13. Brown, L. J. 197 4 Armco Steel - Middletown Works Chronological Index. AK Steel, Middletown, OH. Bums, John A. and the Staff of HABS/HAER Recording Historic Structures. The American Institute of Architects., Washington, DC. Completion Report Post Headquarters, Fort McClellan. National Archives, Military Reference, Suitland, Md. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 51) Cotter, C. H.

"Naval Ammunition Depot Near Hawthorne, Nev., Built To Serve the Pacific Coast", Engineering News Record. Vol. No. 21, pp. Crowell, Benedict America's Munitions, U.S. War Office, Washington, DC. Dulin, Charles L. Completion Report of Camp McClellan, Anniston, Alabama. Issued December 10, On deposit at the National Archives, Military Branch, Suitland, Md. Engineering News Record "The Hazard of Explosives",Vol. 97, No. 4, "Naval Construction Activities", Vol. No. 3, "Igloos for Munitions Storage", Vol. pp. Entire, Robert, editor "Fort McClellan" in Anniston, Alabama Centennial, Commemorative Book and Centennial Program. Higginbotham, Inc., Anniston. Fine, Lenore and Jesse A. Remington "The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States".

In The United States Army in World War II The Technical Services. Center of Military History, US. Army, Washington, DC. Fisher, W. Robinson and Christine Johnson Historic Building Survey, Fort Benning, Georgia. Report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District. Robert Fisher Associates in association with Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. Ford, George B. "New Army Posts for Old", Quartermaster Review, November-December. Gamer, John S. World War II Temporary Military Buildings. US Army Corps Of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratories Technical Report 93- 01. Gates, Grace Hooten The Model City of the New South: Anniston, Alabama The Strode Publishers. Huntsville, Al. Green, Constance, Harry C. Thomson and Peter C.

Roots "The Ordnance Department: Planning Munitions for War." In The United States Army in World War II The Technical Services. Center of Military History, Washington DC. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 52) Lane, Major Mary C., WAC The History of Fort McClellan. Unofficial manuscript. On deposit at Anniston Public Library, Anniston. MacGregor, Morris J. Jr. "Integration of the Armed Forces, In Defense Study Series, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, DC. MacLeay,FrancisR. "Concrete Beehive for Munitions Storage", Engineering News-Record, Volume No. 13, Office of Adjutant General Central Files, Correspondence, National Archives, RG, Box AG Office of the Constructing Quartermaster 193 7 General Map of Fort McClellan.

National Archives, RG 77. Office of the Post Engineer Modifications to Ammo. Igloo Barricades- Area 44. On file at DEH, Fort McClellan, AL Palmer, Lieutenant John Mumford I The Issue of Ordnance Material the Field Depots Supply Division Ordnance 1919a Dept. History with 10 Exhibits. National Archives, RG Entry No. Box No. 1, Military Reference, Suitland, MD. Ordnance Depot Company, Camp McClellan, Alabama." In The Issue of Ordnance Materiel and the Field Depots Supply Division Ordnance Dept. History with 10 Exhibits. Exhibit No. 10A, Book 3. National Archives, Record Group Entry No. Box No. 1, Military Reference, Suitland, Md. Real Property Records On file at Fort McClellan's Real Property Office, Fort McClellan, Al. Stuart, Colonel Alexander J. "Ammunition Storage." In Army Ordnance ..

Vol. 1, No. 4, January- March. The Highway Magazine 194 la "'Igloo' Construction Speeded at Anniston by Modified Forms of Tunnel Lining". Vol. 32, October p. b "Corrugated Iron Is Ideal for Air Raid Shelters," Volume 32, October p. "Dig at Top Speed," Advertisement, Volume 32, December 194 ld "War Is Hell," Advertisement, Volume 32, July FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 53) Thomson, Harry C. and Lida Mayo "The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply". In The United States Army in World War II The Technical Seroices. Center of Military History, Washington DC. Tschappat, Colonel W. H. The Lake Denmark Explosion As It Affected Picatinny Arsenal. Lecture delivered September 22, US Military Academy, West Point, NY. National Archives, RG Entry No.

Box 12, Military Reference, Suitland, Md. U.S. Congress House Committee on Military Affairs Army Housing Program. Congress, December 23. Wasch, Diane and Perry Busch World War II Temporary Structures: The U. S. Army. Compiled June- September John A. Bums, ed. Draft Report prepared for the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 54) PART N.

Protect Information

An inventory and evaluation of the buildings within the Ammunition Storage Area at Fort McClellan was conducted in by New South Associates under contract with the Mobile District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. This inventory established that a group of 15 ammunition storage buildings formed an eligible National Register of Historic Places district and that this proposed district contained examples of Fort McClellan's first and second generation of permanent ammunition storage buildings.

Given that five of these buildings were slated for demolition to accommodate new construction, New South Associates recommended that Buildings and be recorded to Historic American Buildings Survey /Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) Level 1 standards prior to demolition and that the remaining buildings and be preserved as the remaining contributing members of the Ammunition Storage National Register Historic District. After concurrence from the Alabama State Historic Preservation Officer, a data recovery plan was developed by the Mobile Corps of Engineers that called for the architectural documentation of Buildings and New South Associates was awarded the contract to complete the recordation.

According to the Scope of Work, each building was to be fully illustrated through measured drawings showing existing or historic conditions, photographed with large format negatives for exterior and interior views, and extensively researched and described. In addition, a context was to be developed and presented in a narrative report. These tasks were further defined as Level I HABS/HAER equivalent documentation. This level of documentation is fully described in the manual, Recording Historic Structures, Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record, edited by John Burns and the staff of HABS/HAER, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the b;).terior.107 This manual was to be used as a sourcebook for the conduct of the study.

Field work was undertaken by a team consisting of William R. Henry, Architectural Historian; Anthony Greiner and Thaddeus Murphy, Architectural Assistants; Mary Beth Reed and Mark Swanson, Historians; and Richard T. Bryant~ Photographer. The measured drawings were completed by Tracey L. Fedor, Graphics Specialist. Dr. J. W. Joseph, Principal Investigator, directed the project. Fieldwork for the recording team and the photographer was completed in March and April of Historical research was conducted from April through November The preparation of the inked measured drawings on mylar was completed between May and November Production of a bound report was carried out in December and January and the HABS-formatted report was completed in August The large format photography was completed by Mr.

Richard T. Bryant using a 4 x 5 camera. All exterior elevations of each building were photographed. Interior views were also taken when possible. Mr. Bryant followed the photographic guidelines set out in the Scope of Work and in Recording Historic Structures 108 for the field photography and for the development of the negatives. Each negative, along with two glossy contact 107 John A. Bums and the Staff of HABS/HAER, Recording Historic Structures, (Washington, The American Institute of Architects,1989) 108Jbid. FORT MCCLELLAN AMMUNITION STORAGE AREA HABS No. AL-988 (page 55) prints, was developed and placed within the appropriate archival materials for storage. Each is labeled with the building's number, location, view taken, date and photographer's name.

A three person team under the direction of Mr. William R. Henry created a full set of drawings that depicted the study buildings in their current state. Messrs. Anthony Greiner and Thaddeus Murphy acted as architectural technicians. The field drawings were completed under the guidelines described in Recording Historic Structures.109 An interior plan and measured drawings of all elevations were completed for each building. External features, such as the earthen barricades, were also measured and recorded and a site plan was completed. The latter was extremely important, as the buildings represent a passive technology. Unlike a mill or a factory where goods are produced or processed, the study buildings were simply designed to allow for safe and adequate storage of boxes of ammunition.

The nature of the materials they housed, however, demanded isolation from the rest of the military community and from each other. A railroad spur and access road connect the isolated cluster of buildings to the supply system to which it belongs. In a real sense, the technology represented in these drawings is effective siting and use of topography. Hence the site plan holds a significant amount of information. 109Jbid.