13. Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Massachusetts

               Hello!  Welcome to our blog.  We are continuing with a return to the Northeast with a stop at the original “Arsenal of Democracy”, Springfield Armory National Historic Site.

 

Entrance sign

BACKGROUND:

               During the American War of Independence, the young United States had ironically been very dependent on shipments of arms from foreign nations to continue the fight against Great Britain.  Following the war, Congress realized the importance of the country needing to manufacture its own weapons for defense.  In 1794, President George Washington selected two locations for Federal armories, one in Harpers Ferry (West) Virginia, and the second in Springfield, Massachusetts, the site of a previous arsenal during the War of Independence.  The armories commenced production the following year.

               Springfield Armory soon became a factory on the cutting edge of the Industrial Revolution, employing new methods of mass production and heavy machinery, particularly the introduction of interchangeable parts.  When the armory at Harper’s Ferry was destroyed during the Civil War, Springfield armory became the United States’ only remaining Federal factory for producing rifles for the war until Harpers Ferry was replaced by the Rock Island Arsenal.  The armory continued to supply the U.S. government with rifles for the next century, producing some of the nation’s most iconic firearms, such as M1903 Springfield used in World War One, and the legendary World War Two era M1 Garand.  The armory’s last hurrah came in 1957 with the development of the M14 Battle Rifle.  But soon, both the M14 and Springfield Armory were superseded by the M16 Assault Rifle and the private contractors that manufactured it, leading to the Armory’s closure in 1968.

 

The Main Arsenal building

THE SITE:

               Springfield Armory National Historic Site is located near the center of Springfield, Massachusetts.  The majority of the original Springfield Armory factory and grounds is now the location of Springfield Technical Community College, with most of the factory buildings being re-purposed.  The Main Arsenal building, located on the western end of the grounds and once used to store row upon row of muskets, now houses the National Park Service visitor center and museum.  Within, the museum displays exhibits of not only many various types of firearms, but the machinery used in the manufacturing process of rifle making.  The armory proudly boasts hosting the largest collection of American military firearms in the world.

 

Examples of machinery at the museum used in the rifle manufacturing process

TRAVEL TIPS:

               Springfield Armory National Historic Site is open from 9:00am-5:00pm year-round, all week from June through October and Wednesday through Sunday in the winter.  The museum is located on the ground floor of the Main Arsenal building and tours are self-guided, though guided tours also occur daily.  The museum includes a short film and is handicapped accessible.  Passport stamps are found at the front desk.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

The grounds of the armory, now the Springfield Technical Community College

A model in the museum showing the entirety of the armory complex.  The Main Arsenal building is at the upper right

The interior of the Main Arsenal building's tower, which doubled as a hoist for lifting muskets to the upper floors for easier storage

A so called "organ of muskets", demonstrating how muskets were stacked in the arsenal building in the 19th century

A display of various versions of the famed M1 Garand rifle

An exhibit on experimental devices used for trench fighting in World War One



A display on design flaws and damage to rifles.  The top rifle was reportedly twisted as a result of a lightning strike.  Allegedly the sentry holding the rifle walked away unscathed

An exhibit on the evolution of firearms, from the matchlock musket, to the submachine gun