A deed dated June 26, 1880 records the first land purchase for the future Picatinny Arsenal. George E. Righter transferred centered on Lake Picatinny to the United States government in return for $35,874.00. This area, afterwards known as the Middle Forge Tract because of the forge located there during the Revolutionary War, became the central area of the arsenal. In 1880 and 1881, the government also purchased tracts from Uel H. Wiggins, Edward C. Fiedler and other, Henry and Michael Doland, and John E. Kindred. These initial purchases, including the Middle Forge Tract, covered and cost a total of $62,750.00. At the same time, the government gave $200.00 to Lewis Spicer and his wife for a strip on which to construct a road from Spicertown to the powder depot. In 1891, the army transferred bordering Lake Denmark to the navy. The arsenal was located in a valley between two sets of hills that might shield the surrounding countryside from any accidental explosions.
