Springfield Armory

https://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Armory The Springfield Armory, located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. It was the first federal armory and one of the first factories in the United States dedicated to the manufacture of weapons. The site features the world's largest collection of historic American firearms. For nearly two centuries, the U.S. Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world's largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings and landscape. The entrance to Armory Square is on Federal Street in Springfield, MA. Armory Square is shared by Springfield Armory NHS and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). The park is located on the STCC campus. Follow the one way roadway around until you see the entrance sign for the park. If stopped by campus security let them know you are visiting the park. Parking is available in front of the Springfield Armory visitor center. Springfield Armory National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum The park visitor center offers a large museum dedicated to the American Industrial Revolution and the weapons made at Springfield Armory. There is a Junior Ranger program available. Springfield Armory National Historic Site is located on the Springfield Technical Community College campus in the heart of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield Armory National Historic Site The Main Arsenal The Main Arsenal at Springfield Armory National Historic Site was first built in 1850 and today houses the park's amazing collection of historic firearms. Blank Firing Demostration Three Park Volunteers, holding historic firearms, on the grounds of the Armory against a cloudy sky. Park Volunteers give a blank firing demonstration of historic firearms. Springfield Armory Clock Tower The tower of the Armory with the flag at full mast blowing in the wind on a cloudy day. Following the closure of the Springfield Armory in 1968, public action would drive Congress to create Springfield Armory National Historic Site in the late 1970s. Organ of Muskets A double musket rack holding 645 Springfield US Model 1861 rifle muskets. Named after a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Organ of Muskets consists of 647 Model 1861 Rifle Muskets. This structure would have held 1100 muskets when fully stocked and would have been one of many that filled the Arsenal during the Civil War. Springfield Main Arsenal on a Fall Day The Springfield Armory Main Arsenal on a fall day, with blue skies and the flag at half staff. Springfield Armory began the production of small arms in 1794 and continued until its close in 1968. In 1978, the Armory reopened under the direction of the National Park Service as a National Historic Site. Springfield Armory: The Best Battle Implement Ever Devised General Patton described it as “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” American infantrymen carried it at Normandy, Okinawa, and Inchon; from Europe to the Pacific; and from World War II through the Korean War. For over twenty years, from 1936 to 1957, it was the dependable friend of millions of United States soldiers, Marines, and sailors. Officially called the M1 rifle, this weapon that helped win the Second World War was often simply referred to as “The Garand". image of John Garand with a Garand M1 rifle Industry and Economy during the Civil War Both North and South mobilized industry to an unprecedented degree. But the North, which already had a head start in nearly every realm of industrial and agricultural development, far outpaced the South during the war. Unhampered by the southern opposition in such areas as providing free land to farmers and subsidizing a transcontinental railroad before the war, Congress passed sweeping legislation to expand the economy. As the war dragged on, in part because many of the ba Lithograph showing industrial and technological advancements of the Civil War The Civilian Experience in the Civil War After being mere spectators at the war's early battles, civilians both near and far from the battlefields became unwilling participants and victims of the war as its toll of blood and treasure grew year after year. In response to the hardships imposed upon their fellow citizens by the war, civilians on both sides mobilized to provide comfort, encouragement, and material, and began to expect that their government should do the same. Painting of civilians under fire during the Siege of Vicksburg Unfinished: America at 250 Unfinished: America at 250 is a partnership of historical and cultural institutions, National Park Service sites, historians, and changemakers. This partnership harnesses the stories of the past and activates historic spaces to provoke community conversations about the ongoing American Revolution. Unfinished: America at 250 graphic with people along the bottom Springfield Armory National Historic Site engages with our military community Springfield Armory National Historic Site is engaging with local military personnel and families to issue America the Beautiful military federal lands and recreation passes. A person seated holding a map of national parks flanked by two people in military camouflage unfirms