Massachusetts Guard Armory - 560 Boggs Street

The National Guard is equipped and trained identically to the U.S. Army but is under the command of the individual state governors. Approximately 120 men and women belong to B Company, 1st Battalion of the 23rd Infantry - the "New Jerusalem Rifles." Most members of New Jerusalem’s Infantry Company B are residents of Essex County. They meet on the first weekend of every month for training exercises. Individuals between 18 and 41 can enlist here or at the Post Office for selective service.
Members of the National Guard train one weekend per month with heavy weapons, small arms, survival skills, navigation, physical fitness, vehicle operation and maintenance, electronics, and a host of other specialized skills with military applications. The Guard is activated by the Governor of Massachusetts and typically responds to civil emergencies such as floods, blizzards, power outages, etc. On rare occasions the Guard is called up to restore civil order in the case of rioting; the New Jerusalem Rifles have never mobilized in this capacity.
Guard units may be sent overseas to active military service, typically supplementing forces such as the United States Marines and Army. These tours may last up to a year, causing occasional hardship at home while a husband or son is away with the Guard. Although they are not "full time" service personnel, the Guard is well-trained and equipped and should be regarded as regular military personnel regardless of their civilian-soldier status.
The company is far under-strength; only 56 guardsmen currently use the facility. Commanding is 55-year old Colonel William Hathorne. His executive officer is Lt. Colonel Aubrey Bridgeton, 48. Major Charles Hart is responsible for the weaponry stored in the armory as well as the motor pool. Additionally, there are usually two or three lieutenants present.
The armory itself is a large brick building with reinforced doors and metal grating across the windows. An extensive, reinforced underground garaging facility beneath the entire block (extending beneath neighboring structures such as City Hall) houses a small fleet of covered trucks, jeeps, and several light tracked vehicles, capable of exiting to street level via a ramp and motorized metal bay doors connecting to East Hyde Street. Sergeant Groat is directly responsible for the motor pool and keeps the keys for the unit’s two large trucks. This unit was only fully motorized after WWII.
The weapons stored in the armory are always under lock and key unless pulled out for training, transport, or actual emergencies. There are also shovels, picks, radios, blankets, first aid supplies, bottled water, packaged food, camping supplies, and survival gear rivaling that of any well-stocked hardware or Army/Navy store. When natural disaster strikes, the armory is a shelter for New Jerusalemites, sharing in that duty with the high school.

Type

Arsenal

Parent Location

Downtown