Springfield Armory

The Springfield Armory, located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts—from 1777 until its closing in 1968—was the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military firearms. After its controversial closing during the Vietnam War, the Springfield Armory was declared Western Massachusetts' only National Park. It features the world's largest collections of historic firearms.

Famous first as the United States' primary arsenal during the U.S. Revolutionary War, and then as the battlefield of Shays's Rebellion, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Springfield Armory became the site of numerous technological innovations of global importance, including interchangeable parts, the assembly line style of mass production, and modern business practices, such as hourly wages. Numerous firearm models produced at the Springfield Armory from 1794 to 1968 were referred to as "Springfield rifles". For several decades, the United States featured a second National Armory, the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia. Ironically, the Harper's Ferry Armory was destroyed during the American Civil War at the incitement of former Springfield resident and abolitionist, John Brown. The Harper's Ferry Armory was never reconstructed. Thus the Springfield Armory was America's first National Armory—its site was chosen in 1777 by George Washington and Henry Knox—and its last National Armory, closed in 1968.