Calendar of Events

Historic Site & Armory Museum hours: 9am-5pm every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day

phone#(413) 734-8551

  

Email: e-mail us

                  

Weather at Springfield Armory NHS?Check the NOAA website for today’s weather.

 

Mission Statement

The Springfield Armory National Historic Site's mission is to preserve, protect, research, and interpret the site’s firearms collection, archives, structures, landscape, and history; and to provide for the visitor, formal groups, and scholars the story of the Armory, its role in U.S. military history and the nation’s technological development.

 

NOTE: No Personal Firearms [or weapons of any kind] allowed to be carried.

No personal firearms, knives over 2 inches, or other weapons of any kind are allowed on Federal Property due to Federal and State Laws even if you have a license to carry firearms. Please don’t bring them with you to this site.

 

History of Springfield Armory

Soon after the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1788, the federal government established the Springfield Armory on the site of the earlier Continental Arsenal at Springfield (est. 1777). Reasoning that the nation could not afford to rely on foreign or private sources of arms, Congress passed an “Act to Provide for the erecting, and repairing of Arsenals and Magazines” on April 2, 1794. For the next 174 years, the Armory was the center of U.S. government small arms manufacture for the U.S. military. Today, it is both a National Historic Site with its large museum administered by the U.S. National Park Service, and the home of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC).

 

 

 

All Programs are free unless otherwise stated

*Please call to confirm dates*

Interpretive Tours, Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm*

Springfield Armory National Historic Site will offer interpretive tours each weekend day. Several tours await visitors, with locations and subjects varying according to weather, temperature, and even visitor preference. Explore the historic buildings and grounds on a Park Ranger-guided outdoor tour. On the indoor tour, a Park Ranger will detail a portion of the museum’s exhibits and the significant events surrounding them. Each of the specialized tours will highlight aspects of the Springfield Armory’s rich 174 year history. Participants will have the chance to learn new stories and little-known facts about the Armory and the City of Springfield, as well as the opportunity to receive the special attention available on these guided tours.

*On days with other special events, tours will be held at 11:00 am.

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The Armory Buildings and Grounds tour will enlighten visitors to the storage, light assembly, and research and development functions of the “Hill Shops” at Armory Square. Hear about the soldiers from the War of 1812, who were buried on the grounds. Learn where the famous inventor of the WWII M-1 Garand Rifle worked. Find out the historic industrial purpose for each of the current Springfield Technical Community College buildings during the early 19^th century.

On the Museum Exhibits tour, Rangers will show and tell visitors about the notable exhibits. See the “Organ of Muskets” exhibit. Tour leaders will introduce visitors to Armory inventors and inventions such as the Blanchard Lathe, responsible for interchangeability and mass production. Hear about the unusual and effective Lyle Life Saving Gun. Each interpretive tour leader will describe remarkable facts about Armory history and manufacturing. Come join us!

 “Visitors enjoy the special attention available on a guided tour. There’s nothing like being able to ask questions, hear stories and gain new information about a topic near and dear to people.” said Joanne M. Gangi-Wellman, Chief of Visitor Services.