The Springfield Armory, The First And Last National U.S. Armory

  Original Springfield Armory Building

The Third Continental Congress established the Springfield Armory on April 2, 1794 and this became the birthplace of the small arms industry in the United States. However, the Springfield Armory was also active during the Revolutionary War. In 1777 a barn was rented for the repair of arms. In 1778 buildings were rented on Main and Cypress Streets for the manufacture of paper cartridges for muskets with the powder mill located on the Mill River. Upon recommendation of General Henry Knox, Springfield was chosen as the site for the National Armory. General George Washington chose Springfield even though the Congress had voted Brookfield, Massachusetts as the ideal site.

Throughout its 174-year operation, Armory weapons influenced battlefield tactics and wartime strategy in all major conflicts throughout U.S. history. Armory inventions and industrial processes revolutionized American manufacturing and helped launch the Industrial Revolution. Located in the heart of Springfield, Massachusetts on the former Armory site which also now houses Springfield Technical Community College, the Museum displays one of the largest (over 20,000) collections of small firearms in the world along with some of the machines used to manufacture these firearms.

Springfield Armory Emblem

Springfield Model 1817 Type 1 Flintlock Pistol

The U.S. Model 1795 Musket, a Flint Lock, was the first official U.S. weapon and the first Springfield weapon produced. The fine craftsmanship and engineering of the Springfield workforce were consistent through its history. Thomas Blanchard and his Blanchard lathe in 1819 are a classic example. Its creation later played a great part in the development of interchangeable parts. Probably the most noted of recent employees of the Armory was John C. Garand. In 1936 Garand submitted a design accepted by the Government for the first semi-automatic rifle. His design came after approximately twenty years of successful research, experimentation and testing across the country. General George S. Patton, Jr. reported to the Ordinance Department on January 26, 1945: “In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised. In the face of overwhelming odds, the capability of the M1 rifle to deliver superior firepower would most often carry the day." The last small arm developed by the Armory was the M14. The M14 has evolved over the years into a more modern sniping rifle, the M21.

The M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle

Perhaps less appreciated is the Springfield Armory's central role in the industrialization of America and the acceleration of the pace of technology's influence in our everyday lives. Philosophically, it also represents the vexing irony that the economic drivers of war may inevitably have lead to dramatic advances during peacetime that both vastly improved the quality of human life and fueled a regional economy that went on to sustain legions of skilled workers and their families. The Armory was responsible for crucial advances in machining processes and equipment such as lathes and die-cutters that made it a formenter of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.

Current Springfield Armory Building