Title: Chippewa Falls Armory Records
Inclusive Dates: 1917-1930

Creator:

• Chippewa Falls Armory,

Call Number: WVM Mss 856

Quantity: 0.8 linear ft. (2 archives boxes and 1 oversized folder).

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

The records of the Chippewa Falls Armory contain correspondence, reports, and financial records relating to the operation of facility and the Wisconsin National Guard units (Troop A Cavalry and Batteries C and F of the 120th Field Artillery) stationed there during the 1920s. Correspondence includes instructions received from the state's Adjutant General, Quartermaster, and Military Architect and Engineer as well as the federal War Department. This correspondence provides insight into the operation of an armory following World War I and the upkeep of both cavalry and artillery units of the National Guard. The financial records include public vouchers that detail the expenditures made for the operation of the armory. Purchase orders show the supplies needed both for the building, the men, and the cavalry unit's horses. Reports provide information about the members of the National Guard unit and include muster rolls, inspections, and attendance records. Also in the collection are some personal papers of Duncan R. Ackley, a captain at the armory during the 1920s, including some certificates relating to his National Guard service.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00856

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

Chippewa Falls has been home to several different units of the Wisconsin National Guard. These units have been housed in at least three different buildings throughout the twentieth century. The first Armory, reflected in this collection of records, served as a base of operations through the early 1930s. At that point in time, an old car dealership on East Elm Street became a new Armory and served in that capacity through the 1990s. The current facility used by the Wisconsin National Guard in Chippewa Falls is located on East Park Street.

Troop A of the Wisconsin National Guard's 1st Cavalry, which included the headquarters and military police, was the first unit to inhabit the Chippewa Falls Armory. In 1921, the unit was reorganized into Battery F, 120th Field Artillery and two years later it was renamed Battery C, 120th Field Artillery. Currently, the 264th Engineer Group of the Wisconsin National Guard is stationed at the Chippewa Falls Armory.

The records of the Chippewa Falls Armory contain correspondence, reports, and financial records relating to the operation of facility and the Wisconsin National Guard units (Troop A Cavalry and Batteries C and F of the 120th Field Artillery) stationed there during the 1920s. The records were apparently stored in an attic or garage before being given to the Wisconsin National Guard Museum at Camp Douglas in 1989. The vast majority of the records were severely damaged by bird feces, mold, and water. Upon receiving the materials in 2001, archivists at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum evaluated the condition of the papers and acted to conserve them. A very few original records that somehow escaped the damage of feces, mold, and water were kept. A majority of the records were photocopied, after which the originals were discarded. A small number of records were damaged beyond recognition and were discarded without a photocopy.

The records in this collection present a look at the operation of a National Guard armory following World War I and also at the upkeep and activities of the units stationed there, both cavalry and artillery. While the time span is rather short, it is still a unique look at a relatively unexamined aspect of the National Guard experience. Correspondence includes instructions received from the state's Adjutant General, Quartermaster, and Military Architect and Engineer as well as the federal War Department. This correspondence gives an idea of the chain of command that existed in the National Guard and as it related to the armory. The financial records include public vouchers that detail the expenditures made for the operation of the armory. Purchase orders show the supplies needed both for the building, the men, and the cavalry unit's horses. Reports provide information about the members of the National Guard unit and include muster rolls, inspections, and attendance records. Also in the collection are some personal papers of Duncan R. Ackley, a captain at the armory during the 1920s, including some certificates relating to his National Guard service.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Wisconsin National Guard Museum, Camp Douglas, WI, 2001. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).

Processing Information

Processed by Gayle Martinson and Russell Horton in 2005.

	Series: Records
Box   1 Folder   1	Armory training schedules, 1923, 1927, 1929
Box   1 Folder   2	Artillery, 1922
Box   1 Folder   3	120th Field Artillery, 1921-1930
Ov   2 Folder   30	Blueprint, Rifle range, 1921
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1920, 1930
Box   1 Folder   5-8	Adjutant General's Office, 1920-1930
Box   1 Folder   9	Headquarters, Sixth Corps Area (Chicago, IL), [1923-1930]
Box   1 Folder   10	Quartermaster Section of Chicago Depot, 1920-1924
Box   1 Folder   11	State Military Architect and Engineer, 1923
Box   1 Folder   12-13	State Quartermaster, 1919-1924, 1929
Box   1 Folder   14-15	U.S. Property & Disbursing Officer, 1921-1930
Box   1 Folder   16-19	War Department, 1921-1924
Box   1 Folder   20	Financial, 1923-1924, 1930
Box   1 Folder   21	Disbursement and receipts records, 1920-1922
Box   1 Folder   22	Finance officer, [1922-1930]
Box   1 Folder   23	Payrolls, 1920-1924
Box   2 Folder   1-3	Public vouchers, 1921-1923
Box   2 Folder   4	Purchase orders, 1922-1930
Box   2 Folder   5	Legal documents, 1916, 1927, 1929
Box   2 Folder   6	Memorandum receipts, 1929-1930
Box   2 Folder   7	Miscellaneous, 1930, undated
Box   2 Folder   8	Mobilization plan, 1929
	Subseries: Orders	⇧
Box   2 Folder   9	Battery, 1922
Box   2 Folder   10	Troop, 1921, undated
Box   2 Folder   11	Personal papers of Duncan Ackley, 1917-1924
Box   2 Folder   12	Records and forms, undated
Box   2 Folder   13	Reorganization, 1930, undated
	Subseries: Reports	⇧
Box   2 Folder   14	Inspections, 1920-1925, 1930
Box   2 Folder   15	Monthly attendance at drills, 1920-1922, 1927
Box   2 Folder   16	Morning reports, 1923
Box   2 Folder   17	Muster rolls, 1920-1923
Box   2 Folder   18	Record of events diary and monthly roster, 1920-1925
Box   2 Folder   19	Sick reports, 1921-1924
Box   2 Folder   20	Training reports, [1920-1930]