Springfield Armory National Historic Site, in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the site of the first national armory in the United States. From 1794 to 1968, the U.S. military produced small arms and made critical technological advances there. The Springfield Armory played a major role in U.S. manufacturing and innovation.
In the 1600’s, an English colonial militia, the Hampshire Regiment, trained on the grounds. During the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783), the American chief of artillery, Colonel Henry Knox , selected the site as a strategic place to build an arsenal. Because it stood on top of the area’s tallest hill, it would be easy to defend. Beginning in 1777, the Continental Army manufactured cartridges and gun carriages there. After the war, the government maintained the facility to store arms. By the 1780’s, it was a major U.S. arsenal.
In 1787, farmers living in poverty, led by Daniel Shays , marched on the arsenal and tried to seize the arms. The uprising failed, but the fears it aroused increased support for strengthening the federal government. The rebellion thus helped lead to the writing of the Constitution of the United States. See Shays’s Rebellion .
In 1794, the new federal government decided to manufacture its own muskets at the Springfield Armory, independent of foreign aid. In 1819, Thomas Blanchard, a mechanic and inventor, developed a lathe for turning gunstocks. He installed his invention at the armory, where it made a key contribution to mass production. The armory produced a number of innovative weapons, including the Springfield rifle, approved for production in 1903, and the M1 rifle, adopted by the U.S. Army in 1936.
The historic site includes the original Main Arsenal Building, now a museum displaying one of the world’s most extensive firearms collections. In 1870, Colonel J. G. Benton started the weapons collection as a technical library for armory personnel. The museum hosts special exhibits, events, films, and school programs, including blank-firing demonstrations and tributes to war veterans.
Also on the site are other buildings of the original armory complex, including Arsenal Building #13, built in the 1840’s. The site spans 55 acres (22.3 hectares).
Springfield Armory became a national historic site in 1978. The National Park Service maintains and operates the buildings.
See also Springfield (History) .
