Army Depot

From left, SOC general manager George Gram, Sign City owner, Wade Barton and Hawthorne Army Depot commander Lt. Col. Gregory Gibbons cut a ribbon marking completion of the construction of the depot’s new main gate sign.

On March 23, senior leaders of Hawthorne Army Depot conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the front entrance to the installation to officially dedicate the newly constructed front gate sign.

The sign was constructed by Sign City. Special thanks to Wade Barton, his team and SOC for their support in the design and construction.

The history of the depot dates back 85 years, when the Navy began construction of Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot in 1929. It is always important to look back and know our history. The old sign that stood in front of the depot for many years reminds us of our past. In designing the new sign, LTC Gibbons wanted to ensure the architecture of the new sign continued to remind us of our history, while also representing both the Depot and community’s future.

The north side of the sign informs those entering the community that we are the “World’s Largest Ammo Depot”, while the south side serves as a reminder to employees coming to work that they are members of a great team, the “Premier Demil Facility” in the Department of Defense.

Understanding where we came from is extremely important. Equally important is ensuring we do not dwell on the past, but rather look forward to our future goals and aim to achieve them. The new sign will stand as a reminder to us all that not only do we have a storied past, but that both the Hawthorne Army Depot and Mineral County have a great future and that future is bright.