In 1794, the United States Congress passed a bill calling ""for the erecting and repairing of Arsenals and Magazines"". President George Washington, given wide latitude in carrying out this order, selected Harpers Ferry, then a part of Virginia, for the location of the Harpers Ferry National Armory. In 1796, the United States government purchased a parcel of land from the heirs of Robert Harper. In 1799, construction began on the national armory. Three years later, mass production of military arms started.