Since the American Revolution, military arms and munitions have played a crucial role in our nation’s history. Nowhere was more important in supplying those arms than Springfield Armory, which is nestled along the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts. After nearly 200 years of service to the United States, Springfield Armory closed its doors; however, today, those doors are now open to the public!
History
Springfield Armory originated during the American Revolution, when it served as the primary arsenal for the Continental Army. The site on which it was established, located on a bluff overlooking the Connecticut River, was selected largely due to its advantageous and centrally-located geography. This first magazine served as a storage for the army’s precious gunpowder.
In the wake of the American Revolutionary War, the armory at Springfield played a central role in one of America’s earliest uprisings, which erupted in Massachusetts. In 1787, Daniel Shays led thousands of disgruntled farmers and tradesmen, who were angered by their economic plight and the government’s seemingly aggressive push for more taxes and debt collection, in an uprising known as “Shay’s Rebellion.” Shay and his followers sought to capture the federal armory at Springfield for arms and gunpowder; however, on January 25, 1787, they were repelled by the two cannon of the state militia.
In 1794, Congress pledged $81,865 to build and repair federal armories and accordingly, established one at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, and chose the Springfield site for the northern army’s armory. The Springfield Armory was vital in producing arms for the United States Army during the War of 1812 and continued to grow throughout the 19th century. In the 1840s, the main armory building (still standing today) and many other surrounding structures were built.
During the American Civil War, Springfield Armory became crucial to the Union war effort, especially after the only other federal armory at Harpers Ferry was destroyed (Rock Island Arsenal was established in 1862). Power-driven machinery, interchangeable parts, and other advancements in arms manufacturing made Springfield Armory a very productive factory.
Of course, Springfield Armory remained the premier government manufacturer of arms well into the 20th century and produced many of the weapons used in WWI and WWII. The armory was also where many tests and experiments were made to refine the manufacturing process and to improve the capability and power of firearms. Perhaps the most famous rifle to come out of Springfield Armory was John Garand’s famous M1 rifle. In 1919, the inventive Garand was hired by the government to build a test weapon and he made his way to Springfield Armory, where he remained his entire professional career. In 1936, his design for the M1 semi-automatic rifle was approved for production. The M1 rifle was the workhorse of WWII and when production ended, over 6 million were produced!
Springfield Armory’s final years were consumed by new and experimental weapon design and in 1968, it ended production and closed for good. Thankfully, the armory maintained a large collection of firearms from the previous 150 years or so, largely because so many were shipped back to the armory during the post-Civil War period and beyond (many of these were unable to be repaired and were set aside). In 1978, the armory’s doors opened once again, but this time to the general public. Today, the Springfield Armory National Historic Site is managed by the National Park Service and is free to visit and explore!
Interesting Facts
- The Springfield Armory National Historic Site museum houses the largest collection of antique American military firearms in the world
- In the armory’s early years, it would take a worker 10 hours to produce a musket stock. Power-driven machinery and other advancements increased this production to 450 musket stocks in just one 10-hour shift!
- Today’s Springfield Armory Inc., which actively produces firearms, has no affiliation with the original Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. After the federal armory closed in 1968, L. H. Gun Company was renamed Springfield Armory Inc.
Our Visit & Recommendations
Springfield Armory National Historic Site (1 Armory St #2, Springfield, MA 01105) is open year-round, Wednesday-Sunday from 9:30Am – 4PM (it is closed on Monday & Tuesday). Of course, be sure to check for any updates at their website here. The museum is located on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College, which requires passing through a security gate (just tell the guard you are visiting the museum).
We visited on a chilly winter day- but thankfully the museum is indoors! After checking out the few interpretive signs and taking in a view of armory square, we headed inside to explore.
You will likely be met by a National Park Ranger or volunteer, who will provide a brief history of the armory and explain the layout of the museum. The right side of the museum provides a history of the armory and displays numerous pieces of arms manufacturing equipment, a gift shop occupies the center, and the left side of the museum displays most of the firearms. I would give yourself at least one hour to tour the museum (at an absolute minimum), but more time is always better!
One of the most remarkable pieces on display in the museum is the “Organ of Muskets,” which is a well-organized rack of muskets comprised of 647 model 1861 rifles. This stunning work of art will immediately catch your eye! It earned its name from a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow titled “The Arsenal at Springfield.” Longfellow visited the armory in 1843 and was so mesmerized by the collection of arms that he wrote a poem about it, which begins:
This is the Arsenal. From floor to ceiling, like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms; but from their silent pipes no anthem pealing, startles the villages with strange alarms.”
We spent quite a bit of time exploring the left side of the museum, which has many remarkable pieces on display. Because it is organized by timeline, you will start by seeing pieces from the late 18th-century, through the American Civil War, WWI, WWII, and through to the Vietnam War-era. Not all of the weapons on display were produced by Springfield- there are quite a few rifles produced at the Harper’s Ferry Armory, Confederate pieces from the Civil War (many made in Richmond), and numerous foreign-made pistols, rifles, and machine guns from both World Wars.
As much as I’d love to post the dozens of photos that I took of the various weapons, below are just some of the more interesting pieces that we saw.
Legacy
Springfield Armory National Historic Site is one of the most fascinating places that we’ve visited. The work that the museum does in order to preserve and display so many rare and antique firearms is so important, because it gives visitors an opportunity to appreciate the craftsmanship and technology that has gone into the development of firearms. It also tells the story of America- a story filled with daring adventures, risky experiments, and strong-willed people in pursuit of advancements in technology and personal greatness.