Springfield Armory

Sprpbfield Armory The park visitor center and museum in the Armory building (the historic Main Arsenal) houses archives, industrial exhibits, and the world's largest collection of historic American military firearms. ejIMLANGONE Springfield A r m o r y National Historic Site Massachusetts Garvey Hall, S p r i n g f i e l d Technical C o m munity College's administration building, occupies the Armory's original administrative building. National Park Service U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e Interior Quarters 1, built in 1847, was home to Armory commanding officers and their families through 1967. The museum highlights many of the best examples of U.S. military shoulder arms, pistols, edged weapons, and production machinery. ABOVE AND RIGHT: SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE The "Organ of Muskets," made famous by Henry W. Longfellow's 1843 poem. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SPECIAL EVENTS Springfield Armory hosts many special events each year, including ceremonies honoring the nation's military, past and present, on Armed Forces Day in May. Check at the front desk for current events. SCHOOL GROUPS Embracing the "Parks As Classrooms" idea, Springfield Armory has designed programs to provide upper elementary, middle, and high school students hands-on experience in learning the Armory's history. EXHIBITS TOUR Rangers introduce visitors to exhibits like the "Organ of Muskets," the Blanchard Lathe, the unusual Lyle Life Saving Cannon, and the Wall of Machine Guns reflecting a century of development. VISIT THE GROUNDS You may explore the historic buildings and grounds on your own or join a park ranger-guided outdoor interpretive tour that highlights little-known aspects of Springfield Armory's rich 174-year history. Reenactors posing during an event m—jmmmmmm*mj W A L L OF M A C H I N E Spiral staircase in the Armory tower GUNS ©JIM LANGONE ©JIM LANGONE ALL IMAGES NPS/SPRINGFIELD ARMORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITI W E L C O M E TO THE A R M O R Y From its position at the crest o f a hill overlooking the Connecticut The historic Main Arsenal b u i l d i n g , the current A r m o r y museum, River, Springfield A r m o r y exerted a p r o f o u n d influence over t h e w a s used t o store t h e finished firearms. It is distinguished by its city o f Springfield a n d t h e n a t i o n . It carried o u t t h e manufactur- large t o w e r t o p p e d by a flagpole and contains the park visitor ing, storage, repair, testing and development functions assigned by center. A t o u r o f the museum offers selections f r o m the w o r l d ' s t h e United States Army. In d o i n g so it s t i m u l a t e d technological largest collection o f American military firearms, a variety o f his- i n n o v a t i o n , encouraged i m p r o v e d m a n u f a c t u r i n g processes, a n d toric and i m p o r t a n t industrial machinery, and several examples fostered increased use o f laborsaving machines. A l l o f this had a of Springfield Armory's significant contributions t o t h e City o f lasting impact o n American industry. Springfield, t h e r e g i o n , t h e country, and t h e w o r l d . Walk these historic grounds k n o w n t o Americans f r o m George Today Springfield A r m o r y National Historic Site is m a i n t a i n e d W a s h i n g t o n t o John F. Kennedy and t o legions o f men and w o m - t h r o u g h a partnership b e t w e e n t h e National Park Service, t h e en w h o , w i t h their hands and inventive genius, w o r k e d t o help C o m m o n w e a l t h o f Massachusetts, Springfield Technical C o m m u - shape America's destiny. Here, b e g i n n i n g in 1794, President nity College, and t h e City o f Springfield. On a p p r o x i m a t e l y 55 W a s h i n g t o n a u t h o r i z e d t h e m a n u f a c t u r e o f f l i n t l o c k muskets acres, t h e historic buildings, fence, and landscape remain t o and o t h e r m i l i t a r y w e a p o n r y . From these roots, Springfield Ar- s h o w visitors Springfield Armory's original g r a n d e u r and beauty. m o r y became t h e epicenter o f United States m i l i t a r y small arms M u c h remains as i t has f o r t w o centuries, o f f e r i n g a rare glimpse research, d e v e l o p m e n t , and p r o d u c t i o n u n t i l it closed in 1968. i n t o t h e site's long and fascinating past. Springfield citizens w o r k e d diligently at this "Arsenal o f Free- More Information d o m " f o r 174 years t o provide o u r military w i t h t h e best i n f a n t r y Springfield A r m o r y National Historic Site w e a p o n s necessary t o safeguard t h e n a t i o n and its interests. One A r m o r y Square, Suite 2 This fostered an era o f mechanical innovation at Springfield Ar- Springfield, M A 01105-1299 m o r y t h a t influenced t h e direction o f American industry f o r de- Email: spar_interpretation@nps.gov cades. In recognition o f this long history o f p r o d u c t i o n and i n - 413-734-8551 v e n t i o n , part o f t h e A r m o r y was designated a national historic www.nps.gov/spar landmark in 1960, and in 1974 Congress passed an act creating parks in t h e National Park System. Visit w w w . n p s . g o v t o learn more a b o u t parks Springfield A r m o r y National Historic Site. OUR Springfield A r m o r y is one o f over 390 and National Park Service programs. PARTNERS SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE The entrance t o Springfield Armory National Historic Site is t h r o u g h t h e main gate o f Springfield Technical C o m m u nity College (STCC), f o u n d e d in acre site remained in National Park Service hands f o r historic preservation. The remainder w e n t t o t h e college. 1967. STCC is a two-year comm u n i t y college established o n t h e f o r m e r A r m o r y site. It uses many f o r m e r A r m o r y buildings f o r classrooms and offices. The college carries o n t h e Armory's technological t r a d i t i o n , teaching e n g i n e e r i n g t e c h n o l ogy, including mechanical engineering. The college moved in here in www.stcc.edu 413-781-7822 1968, t h e year t h e A r m o r y closed. Twenty acres o f t h e 55- STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity. SPRINGFIELD M U S E U M S Just blocks f r o m t h e Springfield A r m o r y National Historic Site you'll f i n d t h e Springfield Museums, a u n i q u e complex o f five o u t s t a n d i n g museums filled w i t h art, science, and history, plus t h e Dr. Seuss National M e m o r i a l Sculpture Garden. Travel back t o t h e t i m e o f t h e dinosaurs, view art f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , a n d learn a b o u t t h e region's history. One admission ticket provides entry t o all museums—and parking is f r e e ! www.springfieldmuseums.org Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum Highlights of Springfield Armory History 1700s CONTINENTAL ARSENAL Battle at Lexington Green (left); George Washington (right); and the Wait Monument (below), the only surviving artifact from Shays' attack on the arsenal. REVOLUTION SPRINGFIELD If we are to secure peace one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity it must be known that we are at all times ready for war. 1794 The new federal government decides to manufacture its own muskets so that the nation would not be dependent on foreign arms. President George Washington selects Springfield as the site of one of t w o federal armories. The second national armory is built in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and operated until the beginning of the Civil War, when it is destroyed by the North to weaken the industrial capabilities of the southern states. GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1793 METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 1795 Springfield Armory begins weapon production. In one of the earliest known illustrations of the forging room interior (left), the large 19th-century trip-hammers contrast with the hand-work that characterized the earliest years at the Armory. 1787 Led by Capt. Daniel Shays (pictured left with Job Shattuck), an army of distressed citizens try to storm and occupy Springfield Arsenal following a series of mob actions blocking state courts from seizing their property for debt. The rebels are repulsed by artillery and later scattered by militia. Shays' Rebellion, as it became known, brings reforms from the Massachusetts government and helps convince states to adopt the new U.S. Constitution. 1777 A major arsenal is established here after early battles of the war in the northern states showed the need for a place to store weapons and ammunition within reach of American troops and out of British hands. SHAYS' ARMORY REBELLION FORGING ROOM lo^ps MUSKET ASSEMBLY __„ . . _,•• _ CITY OF SPRINGFIELD This is the Arsenal. From floor to ceiling, 1852 Springfield, established as a town in 1636, is incorporated as a city. The city recognizes the Armory's importance by including an image of the Main Arsenal at the top of the municipal seal. Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms; Butfrom their silent pipes no anthem pealing Startles the villages with strange alarms. HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 1S43 Fires were common until brick replaced wooden buildings. This 1824 print shows the destruction of the Armory stocking shops caused by sparks from forges where iron is shaped and welded. BLANCHARD 1819 Armory employee Thomas Blanchard develops a special lathe for the consistent mass production of rifle stocks. LATHE The lathe (above) enables an unskilled workman to turn out identical irregular shapes quickly and easily. 1843 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (right) visits the Armory and later writes his anti-war poem "The Arsenal at Springfield." LONGFELLOW NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE PlSCHM LANGONE U.S. Percussion Musket, Model 1842 * * ? SKILLED •**'Fnr almost t w o centuries •"the hilltop overlooking the Connecticut River was an important place •Jor the development and manufacture of ; arms for the American soldier. Springfield Armory evolved from a place where skilled craftsmen built, piece by piece, one musket at a time, into a center pioneering in mass-production ' techniques, and finally \ into an institute famous for its research and development. In 1964 the Defense De| partment decided that 'private suppliers could provide the necessary weapons. In 1968 the nory was closed. CIVIL WAR 1861-1865 CRAFTSMEN 1884 Here on the Mill River, about a mile south of the Armory's Hill Shops, much of the heavy manufacturing operations of creating rifle stocks and barrels are performed with the help of water power beginning early in the 1800s. ORGAN OF MUSKETS 1886 Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the Apache Wars. One of Geronimo's favorite weapons was the Model 1873 "Trapdoor" Springfield, produced at the Armory and widely used by the U.S. Army from the Indian wars era to the Battle of San Juan Hill in 1898. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's troopers carried them into battle against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne at the Little Bighorn in June 1876. ARMS 1860s The destruction of the Harper's Ferry Armory during the Civil War leaves Springfield Armory the only federal manufacturing point for small arms until the 1900s. It also attracts skilled workers of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds. LABORATORY 1891 The Experimental Department is established at Springfield Armory, officially creating a division responsible for the design and testing of various small arms. This new department would examine and develop all subsequent U.S. rifle designs. U.S. Magazine Rifle, Model 1892 I N D I A N WARS BY 1895 the bicycle is very popular for people of all ages, and Springfield holds annual bicycle tournaments. "Springfield is truly a town of cyclists," says the New York Times about the 1895 rally, "and women and children are as common on the spidery vehicle as pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge." WATER POWER This 1886 group portrait shows Stocking Shop workers at the Hill Shops. Each man is dressed in his work outfit and holding the tools and gauges that signify his particular role in producing rifle stocks in a "Division of Labor." GERONIMO (FAR RIGHT) WITH 1873 "TRAPDOOR" ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOHN GARAND l()OOS 1936 Armory begins mass production of first successful semi-automatic rifle to be put into active military service, the M1 Rifle, designed by John Garand. CITY OF H O M E S The Armory's comparably higher wages for workers help Springfield become known as the "City of Homes" in the late 1800's. The nickname arose because of the city's many Victorian mansions, as well as multitudes of workers' singlefamily homes. ^Although designated a national historic landmark in 1960, it was " not until 1974 that the LZArmory became a naf tional historic site and I part of the National EPark System preserved I f o r the benefit and enj o y m e n t of present and I f u t u r e generations. 1905 James Stowe is the first African American hired by the Armory. Employed at the Water Shops, he is seen here operating one of the Armory's electric delivery trucks. WWI The Armory produces over 265,000 bolt-action Model 1903 j rifles for American troops. It is still considered one of the most accurate weapons ever made. U. S. Magazine Rifle, Model 1903 FT .SPRINGFIELD ARMORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED 1943 The workforce at the Armory totals 13,500 employees, of which 43 percent are Women Ordnance Workers (WOWs). A NEW CENTURY 1957 The M14 rifle is the last shoulder weapon produced at Springfield Armory. Phased out as a standard infantry weapon in 1966, it was the basis for the M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS), which was standard-issue to military sniper teams until 1988, though it is still available to military sharpshooters today. T W O W O R L D WARS WWII The installation of mass-production machinery in the early 1930's allows for the manufacture of 3.5 million M1 rifles through 1945. Used by U.S. troops around the world, it is deemed by Gen. George S. Patton "the greatest battle implement ever devised." ration firaqi Freedom: The soldier on the left I s o l d s an M14-based M21 SWS, and theother • • h o l d s an M4 Carbine!! 7