Opened in 1940 during World War II, the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (formally known as the Joliet Arsenal) manufactured ammunition for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Major operations at the facility ended in the late 1970s. The facility was put back into operation for a brief period before its permanent closing in the 1980s.

The original Route 66 alignment ran through the site.

The large site has been re-purposed and redeveloped for other uses, including the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.