This is an article about the US Government Arsenal. For the contemporary commercial manufacturer see Springfield Armory, Inc.

Springfield Armory National Historic Site
(U.S. National Historic Landmark District)
Location:	Springfield, Massachusetts
Built/Founded:	1778
Architect:	Unknown
Architectural style(s):	Greek Revival
Designated as NHL:	December 19, 1960
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966
NRHP Reference#:	66000898[1]
Governing body:	State

The Springfield Armory was the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military small arms and the site of many important technological advances (see Springfield rifle) from 1794 to 1968. Springfield Armory Inc is a Firearms manufacturer based in Geneseo Illinois founded in 1974 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the Springfield is a City in and the County seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Small arms is a term used by the Armed forces to refer to Infantry Weapons such as the Firearms that an individual soldier can carry The term Springfield Rifle may refer to any one of several types of Small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield Massachusetts, for the Year 1794 ( MDCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The other major center was the Harpers Ferry Armory, until its destruction during the American Civil War. The Harpers Ferry Armory, more formally the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, located in Harpers Ferry West Virginia (then part of Virginia Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South

Contents 1 History 2 Modern times 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

History

The Springfield Armory site was selected by President George Washington. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Although Springfield, Massachusetts was only a small, struggling village, its geographical advantages were obvious. Springfield is a City in and the County seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was located at the intersection of major highways and the Connecticut River but far enough upstream to be safe from enemy attack. The Connecticut River is the largest River in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border Supplies, skilled manpower, and adequate waterpower for manufacturing were all close at hand. No wonder Col. Henry Knox, Gen. Henry Knox ( July 25, 1750 &ndash October 25, 1806) was an American Bookseller from Boston who became the chief Washington's Chief of Artillery, concluded that "the plain just above Springfield is perhaps one of the most proper spots on every account" for the location of an arsenal. The land had been used as a training field for militia since the 1600s. In 1777 "The Arsenal at Springfield" was established to manufacture cartridges and gun carriages for the American Revolution. Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"

During the Revolution the arsenal stored muskets, cannon, and other weapons. Barracks, shops, storehouses, and a magazine were built, but no arms were manufactured. After the war, the government kept the facility to store arms for future needs.

By the 1780s the Arsenal was a major ammunition and weapons depot. In 1787 poor farmers from western Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays, tried to seize the arms at Springfield. Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Daniel Shays c1741 - September 29 1825) is mostly known for leading an army of farmers in Shays' Rebellion, which was a revolt against the state government This was a key event leading to the Federal Constitution Convention. The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and it was then ratified and took effect all in 1788 which then replaced the Articles of Confederation. Those involved in the rebellion planned to use the weapons to force the closure of the State and county courts that were taking their lands for debt. Confronted by the cannons of an organized state militia, they failed in their desperate attempt. Yet the incident led many of the wealthier people, who feared for their property at the hands of an armed rabble, to vote for the new Federal Constitution and support a stronger central government.

In 1794 the new Federal government decided to manufacture its own muskets so that the United States would not be dependent on foreign arms. Year 1794 ( MDCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a President Washington selected Springfield as the site for one of the two Federal Armories (the other being the Harpers Ferry Armory at Harpers Ferry), Virginia (now part of West Virginia). The Harpers Ferry Armory, more formally the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, located in Harpers Ferry West Virginia (then part of Virginia Harpers Ferry redirects here For other uses see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Production of weaponry at the Armory began in 1795 when 220 flintlock muskets were produced. Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Flintlock is the general term for any Firearm based on the flintlock mechanism

Springfield Armory soon became a center for invention and development. In 1819 Thomas Blanchard developed a special lathe for the consistent mass production of rifle stocks. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Thomas Blanchard ( June 24, 1788 – April 16, 1864) was a prolific American Inventor, awarded over twenty-five patents A lathe (ˈleɪð is a Machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as Cutting, Sanding, Knurling Thomas Blanchard worked at Springfield Armory for 5 years. The lathe enabled an unskilled workman to quickly and easily turn out identical irregular shapes. The large drum turned two wheels: a friction wheel that followed the contours of the metal rifle pattern, and the cutting wheel that imitated the movements of the friction wheel to make an exact replica of the pattern in wood. In the 1840s the old flintlock gave way to a percussion ignition system that increased the reliability and simplicity of longarms. The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably in any weather

In the period before the Civil War, Springfield Armory was largely involved in the growth and influence of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the Much of this grew out of the military's fascination with interchangeable parts, based on the theory that it would be easier to simply replace firearm parts than make battlefield repairs. Interchangeable parts are components of any device designed to specifications which insure that they will fit within any device of the same type Mass production of truly interchangeable parts demanded greater use of machines, improved gauging, quality control, and division of labor; all characteristics of the Industrial Revolution. Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of From these individual components, the concept of the assembly line was devised.

The Springfield Armory also contributed to improved management techniques. Colonel Roswell Lee, hired as superintendent in 1815, brought centralized authority, cost accounting for payroll, time, and materials, and increased discipline to a manufacturing environment - all business practices still in use today.

In 1843, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visited the Armory and wrote his poem "The Arsenal at Springfield. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " " [1] The anti-war poem described the rows of finished guns, by that point 1,000,000 stockpiled there [2], stored vertically in open racks; "Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms. " [3]

With the destruction of Harper's Ferry during the Civil War, the Springfield Armory became the only federal manufacturing point for small arms until the 20th century.

In 1865, Master Armorer Erskine Allin introduced the "Allin Conversion", which incorporated the far more advanced design of breech-loading into the now-obsolete muzzle-loaders, thereby extending their service life. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In 1891 a new function was assigned to the Armory –– it became the army's main laboratory for the development and testing of new small arms. Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

One of the most distinctive elements of the Armory is the fence surrounding the site which was started after the Civil War and completed in 1890. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Unable to find funding for the purchase of a fence, Major James W. Ripley requested obsolete cannons from government storage, some from the Revolutionary War. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" He had the cannons sent to a local foundry to be melted down. The foundry kept some of the iron as payment, and the remainder was cast into 9-foot palings, formed as pikes and spearheads which were then sunk into a red sandstone base.

During the Spanish-American War, it was recognized that the Spanish Mauser, Model of 1893, exhibited characteristics superior to the "trapdoor" Springfield and Krag-Jørgensen rifles carried by the United States troops. Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer maker of a line of Bolt-action Rifles from the 1870s to present The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating Bolt action Rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen On August 15, 1900, Springfield Armory completed an experimental magazine rifle which they believed to be an improvement over the Krag. They fashioned a clip loading magazine rifle in which the cartridges were contained within the stock, preventing damage to an otherwise exposed magazine. It was approved for production in 1903 hence the nickname "The Springfield '03". Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The Springfield M1903, formally the United States Rifle Caliber.

By the time that the United States entered World War I, approximately 843,239 standard service Model 1903 rifles had been manufactured. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All However this was insufficient to arm U. S. troops for an undertaking of the magnitude of World War I. During the war Springfield Armory produced over 265,620 Model 1903 rifles. In addition, the War Department contracted for production of the M1917 Enfield Rifle to help aid American troops. The M1917 Enfield, the "American Enfield" (frequently misidentified or mislabeled as the "P17" "P1917" or "Pattern 1917" formally named These, along with the additional 47,251 rifles produced by the Rock Island Arsenal and the weapons already in service, were enough to supply the war effort.

In 1919, when John Garand was 20, he came to Springfield, where he worked to develop a semi-automatic rifle. John Cantius Garand ( January 1, 1888 &ndash February 16, 1974) was a designer of Firearms best known for creating the first successful A semi-automatic rifle is a type of Rifle that fires a single Bullet each time the trigger is pulled without the need manually to operate a Over the next five years many designs were submitted for the rifle, but none met the army's rigid specifications. In 1924, Garand offered a design that was approved for further testing. This was the famous M1, or "Garand rifle" as it came to be known after the name of its inventor. The M1 Garand (formally the United States Rifle Caliber.30 M1) was the first Semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry in any nation The army adopted the rifle in 1936, and production began the next year. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Thus began what was to become the greatest production effort in the history of Springfield Armory. During the entire production history of the M1 rifle, Springfield Armory produced over 4. 5 million of them.

The M1s accuracy and durability in battle earned it high praise. General Douglas MacArthur reported on the M1 to the Ordnance Department during heavy fighting on Bataan that: "Under combat conditions it operated with no mechanical defects and when used in foxholes did not develop stoppages from dust or dirt. General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. It has been in almost constant action for as much as a week without cleaning or lubrication. " Further testament to the M1s role in combat was given by another well respected military officer. General George S. Patton, Jr. reported to the Ordnance Department on January 26, 1945: "In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised. For the 19th century Scottish jurist/politician see George Patton Lord Glenalmond. " 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 the present day U. S. sniping rifle –– the M21. The M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS is the semi-automatic Sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle.

By the time the U. S. was involved in the Vietnam conflict, Springfield Armory developed not only rifles but machine guns for ground and air use, grenade launchers, and associated equipment. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. A grenade launcher is a Weapon that launches a Grenade with more accuracy higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand Many weapons were not manufactured at the Armory, but plans and specifications were drawn up for the use of private contractors who built them elsewhere.

Modern times

In 1968, in a controversial economy measure, the Defense Department closed the installation. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government For almost two centuries the hilltop overlooking the Connecticut River had been an important place for the development and manufacture of arms for the American soldier. The Connecticut River is the largest River in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border The facility evolved from a place where skilled craftsmen built, piece by piece, one musket at a time, into a center pioneering mass-production techniques, and finally into an institute famous for its research and development.

The site is now a museum run by the National Park Service, as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The National Park Service ( NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation Some of the Armory buildings house Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). Springfield Technical Community College better known as STCC (pronounced "stick" by locals is a two-year Community college in Springfield Massachusetts

In 1974, the Springfield Armory name was used by Robert Reese, who formed a new company to manufacture semi-automatic versions of the M14 rifle. This company, now owned and run by Reese's sons, manufactures a wide array of firearms under the Springfield Armory name. However, this company is not located near the former armory site and has no connection with the original National Arsenal. It is now located in Geneseo, Illinois. Springfield Inc. 's motto "The Oldest Name In American Firearms" while technically true, is misleading since the company has no connection whatsoever with the original Springfield Armory in Springfield Massachusetts.

References

See also

• Frankford Arsenal, longtime center of small-arms ammunition development

External links

• Springfield Armory National Historic Site

The Frankford Arsenal was a United States Army Ammunition plant located in the Bridesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia Pennsylvania, adjacent

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