The three-room building was constructed in 1866 to guard what was then the main entrance to the Augusta Arsenal, a U.S. Army installation. For 89 years, it served several different purposes for the Army, but in 1955 the arsenal was closed and the property became home to the Junior College of Augusta, now Augusta State University. The building remained vacant until 2002 when a state grant and private donations enabled its renovation. Restored to its original appearance, the building now serves as a museum with displays about the arsenal, university and the historic neighborhoods of Summerville and Sandhills.