Laboratory produced ammunition, friction primers, percussion caps, and other ordnance for the Confederate war effort.

On Friday, March 13, 1863, an explosion occurred in a section of the laboratory that killed forty-five individuals and left twenty-three others injured.

In 1899, a hydroelectric power plant on the island's east side, running off the Haxall Canal.

In 1993, Paul Di Pasquale's sculpture Headman was erected on the island's Eastside, depicting a man steering a James River Batteaux boat.

In 2014, the City released plans for Brown's Island Dam Walk (now the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge) and secured funding from the state of Virginia.

The Rivanna Subdivision Trestle crosses the island, making it a popular destination for railfans, too.