Springfield Armory National Historical Site

          I read about the armory and its history during the American  Revolution while reading the novel series Outlander (with which I may or may not be obsessed). I looked it up and started reading about its history and role, not only during the American Revolution but also after, during the Industrial Revolution.

It began its life as an arsenal, commanded by Gen. George Washington and Col. Henry Knox in the early days of the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army needed a place to stockpile weapons. Springfield was chosen due to it being centrally positioned for the armies on the north, and its location at the intersection of colonial highways and closeness to the Connecticut River. During these years, the arsenal stored muskets, cannons, and other weapons and produced paper cartridges, but no arms were manufactured. 

          After the war, the newly formed Federal Government decided to manufacture its own arms so as not to depend on foreign countries to supply the army. President Washington chose Springfield as the place for one of the armories, the other was located in Harpers Ferry. New buildings were added. The West Armory, completed in 1808, is the oldest surviving building to this date. A landscaped green was surrounded by storage buildings, blacksmith shops, and administrative offices. Soon fine residential neighborhoods developed in the surrounding areas. Within decades, Springfield Armory had perfected pioneering manufacturing methods that were critical to American industrialization.

          At first, each musket was made by one person, who skillfully made each piece to fit that specific musket. This made them hard to fix in the field since the parts were not interchangeable. Then Thomas Blanchard entered the picture. Born on June24th, 1788 in Sutton, MA, he was a very talented inventor. He was working at Asa Waters, a major contractor in nearby Millbury, producing flintlock muskets supplementing those made at Springfield Armory. There he invented his first replicating machine, a lathe, for cutting the exterior surface of musket barrels.

          By 1818 Springfield Armory was operating this machine. Later on Blanchard realized that he could produce a turning replicating machine to cut irregular forms, and in 1819 he patented his wood-turning lathe. Called the Blanchard lathe, it works similar to a key-cutting machine, with a stock blank in place of the key blank, and an iron master form in the shape of a musket stock. In the early 1820’s, it was adopted at both national armories and, with a dozen more specialized Blanchard shaping and inletting machines, mechanized much of the traditional handwork of gunstock production. This innovations lead the way into the Industrial Revolution, with techniques applied to other manufacturing processes and products.

           In 1968 Springfield Armory closed its doors and workers said good bye as the flag was lowered for the last time. In 1978 it reopened its door as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The original 1840's arsenal houses the world's largest collection of historic American military firearms

          My stepson (18) was really interested in the lathes and manufacturing implements, while my nephew (6) was more interested in the puzzles and other kid activities they had available. Close by are the museums, including the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, really fun place for the kiddos.  little further north, in S. Deerfield, you can visit the Yankee Candle Village and Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens

 Trivia Facts:

1. After visiting Springfield Armory during his honeymoon, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published a poem in 1845 entitled "The Arsenal at Springfield," which used the racks of muskets stored there as an anti-war metaphor.
2. Springfield Armory functioned in tandem with its sister armory in Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia, providing arms for the nation from 1795 until Harpers Ferry Armory was burned down during the Civil War. Today, both sites are units of the National Park Service. 
3. While blasting for new construction at Springfield Armory in the 1850s, a number of dinosaur bones were unearthed. The fossils turned out to be an undiscovered species of dinosaur, named later Anchisaurus Polyzelus. The dinosaur lived during the Jurassic Period.
4. During the Civil War, Springfield Armory produced about 300,000 muskets for the Union. In 1864, production reached 1,000 muskets per day.
5. Springfield Armory National Historic Site is the only National Park unit in Western Massachusetts.

Sources: Springfield Armory National Historic Site website