SPRINGFIELD ARMORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

MASSACHUSETTS

George Washington proposed the nation's first national armory to be located in Springfield, Massachusetts. For over 174 years, from 1798 through 1968, the Armory produced high quality weapons for our military. Springfield weapons were used in every major US engagement including the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Plains Indian Wars, Spanish American War, WWI, Korea, WWII, Vietnam and even today. The US Cavalry protected Yellowstone National Park at its inception with Springfield rifles. The Armory closed its doors for the final time in 1968 and Springfield Armory National Historic Site was established in 1978. The park museum gives visitors a glimpse of the vast collection of firearms and it tells the remarkable industrial and social story behind the manufacture of the weapons. Exhibits include a "Life Saving Gun" and the "Organ of Muskets", a firearms storage rack made famous by the anti-war poem "The Arsenal at Springfield" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Visitors are offered self-guided walking tours, weekend and special events, an orientation film, and a comprehensive book sales area.

DID YOU KNOW

• The 53-acre National Historic Site is co-managed with the State of Massachusetts. Students of Springfield Technical Community College use many of the historic buildings.
• The Springfield Armory "Museum," began by the US Army in 1871, is now one of the oldest continuing operating museums in the US.
• With over 8,000 objects, and over 500,000 associated archives, the park firearms collection is the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world.
• The Armory was the genesis of the "American System of Manufacture," a system of technological and managerial innovations much admired and emulated by Europe in the mid-1800s.
• During WWII nearly half the 14,000 Armory workforce were called "WOWs" - Women Ordnance Workers.
• Since it opened, the Armory produced eight kinds of "epochal" weapons: The U.S. Flintlock Musket Model 1795 patterned after the French "Charleville". U.S. Percussion Musket Model 1842. The U.S. Rifle-Musket Model 1855. The U.S. Rifle Model 1866-Allin Conversion - the famous "Trapdoor" rifle. The U.S. Magazine Rifle Model 1892 Krag-Jorgenson. U.S. Magazine Rifle Model 1903, the famous "'03 Springfield". U.S. Rifle Cal .30 M1, 1936, the M1 Garand. U.S. Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, 1957.

DON'T MISS ATTRACTIONS

• Visit the park web site for the latest hours of operation and coming special events. In June the park features a weekend long "Three Centuries of Soldiers, Their Weapons, & Their Music" encampment and in July the very popular "Big Band Show" that re-creates a 1943 Benny Goodman concert at the Armory.
• On two Saturdays a month park rangers and park volunteers offer an Evolution of Firearms program that concludes with the blank firing demonstration.
• The park offers special tours of a special room normally off limits to the general public. The collection storage room houses two-thirds of the entire arms collection. The tour is limited to no more than 10 people, can be reserved in advance and costs $12.00 per person. Call for reservations.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRIORITIES

Park managers are beginning a two-phase rehabilitation of the HVAC system at the Springfield Armory NHS Museum, home to the single largest collection of American military firearms in the world. The rehabilitation is needed to protect the health of visitors and park employees, and to preserve the historic curatorial collections, most notably the archives. When complete the main museum building will provide state of the art environmental conditions for the 8,000 objects and over 500,000 archives housed in the museum, ensuring their preservation for future visitors.

Park staff continues to work with local schoolteachers and the University of Massachusetts to develop curriculum-based programs tied to the social and technological resources of the Armory. A Teachers Workshop is planned for February 2004 to debut a new interactive "The Role of Springfield Armory in the Civil War."

Like many national parks, the Springfield Armory NHS can count on the support of friends groups and volunteers to help with park operations, such as special events and visitor services. The Friends of Springfield Armory Museum, Inc., a not-for-profit friends group, was established in 1999 to assist the National Historic Site in fund raising and to help with special events. New members are always welcome. And in 2003, 40 volunteers provided more than 5,000 hours of donated services. Volunteers are a vital supplement to the park staff. Many park activities and events could not occur without the help of these dedicated volunteers.

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LINKS:

Springfield Armory National Historic Site Home Page»

Partnering & Managing for Excellence Report»

Previously Featured Parks»