Commissioners Tour Picatinny Arsenal’s Revolutionary Roots
Published on June 29, 2026
Visit Underscores Historic Middle Forge, Burial Ground, Military Innovation
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners recently visited Picatinny Arsenal for a tour highlighting the military installation’s rich history, modern technological mission and longstanding ties to Morris County dating back to the American Revolution and the nation’s founding 250 years ago.
Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw and Commissioners Thomas Mastrangelo and Christine Myers met with Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II and toured significant locations across the installation with Picatinny historians and cultural resource specialists. They learned about the arsenal’s evolving role in supporting the U.S. military as they also visited monuments honoring generations of servicemembers and civilians whose dedication and sacrifice are commemorated throughout the installation.
View a Video of the Revolutionary Picatinny Tour.
“Our visit to Picatinny Arsenal was an opportunity to recognize both the remarkable military innovation taking place there today and the extraordinary history preserved on the installation,” said Director Shaw. “As Morris County and the nation commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, it is especially meaningful to reflect not only on the area's role in supporting Gen. George Washington's Army during the Revolutionary War, but also on the generations of servicemembers and civilians who have served our country and helped protect our nation for more than two centuries.”
The visit began with a welcome and historical overview led by Lt. Col. Bonham and subject matter experts including Picatinny Historian Jeff Ranu, Environmental Affairs Division Chief Jason Huggan and Cultural Resources Manager Rachael Winston.
The commissioners viewed historical artifacts and learned about Picatinny’s evolution from its official establishment in 1880 as the Picatinny Powder Depot into today’s Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition, leading research, development, acquisition and lifecycle management of advanced conventional weapon systems and ammunition.
“When it comes to conventional weapons systems as well as other munition systems, those are all research developed, tested and evaluated here,” Bonham said, although adding that some areas of the installation are more visitor friendly.
“This is an open installation. We welcome those from outside to come on the installation. We have a wonderful water park; we've got a golf course,” Bonham noted.
View a Photo Gallery of the Picatinny Arsenal Tour.
Particular attention was given to two sites on the post connected to Morris County’s Revolutionary War-era history: the Walton Burial Ground and Middle Forge.
The commissioners visited the Middle Forge monument, paying tribute to the forge that once operated as part of the historic Mount Hope Iron Works.
The monument is the actual remnant of the Revolutionary War era Middle Forge, according to Ranu, the post historian.
“When the government purchased the property in 1880, they found the remnant of the hammer and the tools that were used at the Middle Forge,” he explained.
During the American Revolution, the forge produced munitions that supported Washington’s Army as troops encamped in Morris County. The monument, constructed from historic ironworking tools and flanked by Civil War cannons outside Building 151, stands as a tribute to the county’s industrial and military heritage.
At the Walton Burial Ground, commissioners learned about ongoing preservation efforts surrounding the historic family cemetery located within the arsenal grounds. The site serves as a reminder of the generations of Morris County residents who lived and worked in the region long before the military installation was established.
“From its inception, this mission of Picatinny Arsenal was to defend and support the United States of America. Preserving its past is critical to ensuring we, the citizens of Morris County, always remember the sacrifice our military has and continues to make to protect our country and our freedom,” said Commissioner Myers.
The tour included stops at the World War II Monument honoring the contributions and sacrifices of Picatinny employees during the war.
Marines who deployed from the post to serve in the Korean War and those who died in the 1926 explosion of 2.5 million pounds of TNT that was ignited by a lightning strike are remembered by memorials outside the Marine Reserve Building dedicated to Lance Cpl. Christopher Cosgrove III of Cedar Knolls, who was killed in Iraq in 2006.
Additional stops highlighted Picatinny’s environmental stewardship efforts around Picatinny Lake, the installation’s engineering and munitions mission at the Project Manager Soldier Lethality and Capabilities Building, and the iconic Cannon Gates, constructed in 1884 and 1885 using 8-inch Columbiad cannons. The iconic gates remain a symbol of the arsenal today.
The tour concluded with discussions about Picatinny Arsenal’s continued role in national defense, research and innovation, while preserving the historic landscape and stories that shaped the region for more than two centuries.
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Photo 1: (l-r) Jason Huggan, Environmental Affairs Division Chief at Picatinny Arsenal; Jeff Ranu, Engineering Historian for the U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal; Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw; Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II; Morris County Commissioner Thomas J. Mastrangelo; Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers and Rachael Winston, Cultural Resources Manager at Picatinny Arsenal.
Photo 2: (l-r) Jeff Ranu, Engineering Historian for the U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, Commissioners Christine Myers and Tom Mastrangelo, and Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw at the installation's World War II memorial.
Photo 3: Jason Huggan, Environmental Affairs Division Chief at Picatinny Arsenal, welcomes the group to the Walton Burial Ground.