It's hard to miss the old Jeffersonville US Army Quartermaster's Depot (JQMD)-- this thing is HUGE!! A vital cog in the Army wheel for almost 100 years, the JQMD closed in 1958, was purchased by the City of Jeffersonville in 1993, renovated and redeveloped in 2006, and in 2022 is a hub of Jefferson City Hall, private business, shopping, dining, and entertainment uses.
The JQMD started in the 1860s as a convenient supply depot for Union Forces during the Civil War. With excellent rail networks in the area already, and reliable Ohio River river access, the JQMD could move large amounts of men and equipment very efficiently.
As the Civil War dragged on, the JQMD expanded in size and importance adding a hardtack factory (a staple in every Civil War soldier's diet), uniform factory, as well as shops to make saddles, harnesses, vehicles (wagons), stationery, tools and camp stoves for the Army.
After the war ended, the JQMD was the only depot to not be disbanded. The Army heavily relied upon the JQMD in subsequent wars for its equipment needs, even as times and technology changed.
In 1958 the Depot was closed, and 40 years later became the focus of an ambitious public-private redevelopment project that has breathed new life into this historic place.
From Wikipedia: (
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Jeffersonville Quartermaster Intermediate Depot (JQMD) was a military warehouse located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Originally covering four city blocks (the Quadrangle), it expanded to ten city blocks by the end of World War II.
History
At the end of the Civil War, it was the only depot in the Ohio Valley to not be disbanded.
In 1871 the U.S. Army decided to build an edifice that would contain all the individual units that had spread all around Jeffersonville. Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs designed the structure, which opened in 1874. Frederick Law Olmsted also helped design the facility, and much of his vision still exists with its brick structures and arched glass portals, but more of Meigs' vision won out. A 100-foot (30 m) tower was initially built as both watchtower and watertower, but was razed in 1900 to make the power plant into a two-story headquarters building.
During the Spanish–American War, 100,000 uniform shirts a month were produced, and in World War I 700,000 of the shirts were made. This gave the depot the nickname "America's largest shirt factory". In World War II the depot produced $2.2 billion in goods for the war effort. It stayed in operation for the Korean War, but by 1957 it was decided to close the facility, which happened in 1958.
The U.S. Census Bureau, Kitchen Kompact, and Kessler Distilling acquired much of the facilities, with the original Quadrangle becoming a low-rent shopping center. A fire in January 1993 destroyed the southeast quadrant, and it was feared the facility would be eliminated. The city of Jeffersonville bought the facility to ensure its long-term existence.
In 2001, $300,000 was secured to renovate the Quadrangle. A gut-renovation project ensued between 2005 and 2006, and today it is home to numerous offices, storefronts, and the city hall for Jeffersonville."
For MUCH more about the impressive supply operations happening here from 1860s-19127, read here: (
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In 1919, this depot's output increased to be truly amazing:
"World’s Largest Shirt Factory
In the Clothing and Manufacturing Branch, the home operatives were increased from approximately 2,000 to 20,000, and the output of garments brought up from 600,000 to 8,500,000 per year. At the time of the Armistice, the monthly output of shirts reached its zenith, being between 600,000 and 700,000, and the Jeffersonville Depot became known as the world’s largest shirt factory.
Uniforms were manufactured at the Depot, the output being 750 service coats and 1,000 pairs of breeches per day. This plant was closed on November 14, 1918, reopened February 17, 1919, and permanently closed January 9, 1922, when this activity was transferred to Philadelphia.
Large Harness Factory
The Harness Shop, at the beginning of the World War, employed about 35 men and turned out approximately 100 sets of ambulance harness weekly. By the. spring of 1918, this force was increased to 100 men and the production to 500 sets of ambulance harness, or its equivalent, weekly. Besides the harness, aparejos, water bags, paulins and wagon covers were also manufactured."