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Springfield Armory
- Thread starter mordeeb
- Start date
JuergenG
NES Member
I understand the Armory is a museum site since 1968 and am keen to spend
a day there soon.
You may want to look up their website for tons of information:
http://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm
a day there soon.
You may want to look up their website for tons of information:
http://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm
If at all possible, get the "special guided" tour. I knew one of the currators a few years ago, and they had to pull me kicking and screaming from the collection upstairs, I could have spent 4-5 days in that one room.
It was of this that Longfellow wrote, in his poem:
This is the arsenal. From floor to ceiling,
Like a huge pipe organ, rise the burnished arms;
But from their silent pipes no anthem pealing
Startes the villages with strange alarms.
Ah! what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary,
When the death-angel touches those swift keys;
What loud lament and dismal miserere
Will mingle with their awful symphonies!
This is the arsenal. From floor to ceiling,
Like a huge pipe organ, rise the burnished arms;
But from their silent pipes no anthem pealing
Startes the villages with strange alarms.
Ah! what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary,
When the death-angel touches those swift keys;
What loud lament and dismal miserere
Will mingle with their awful symphonies!
The Springfield Armory Historical Site is a NATIONAL PARK, with the same standing as Acadia or any other park. They were there since Washington was president. The history drips off the walls. While about 10% of what they hold is ever on display, there is plenty to see if you are a firearms shooter/collector. The ones on display go well back to the 1300s when they were invented. There's also a free video in a large room housing a large variety of machine guns from Gattling forward. You can see the entire thing in about an hour or so, depending on how fascinated you are with the history of firearms. IF you're there to see the latest deer rifles, don't waste your time. This is about military rifles and handguns. There are also at least one of every "foreign' made rifle on display with many of the rarest iterations on the planet along with a number of prototypes, specialty and quirky rifle/handguns that are really interesting.
I had the priviledge of knowing the previous superintendent and he gave me a "special tour" of the place a couple years back. It would take all day to see everything. There are even tunnels out of the bottom of the superintendent quarters that go all the way to the river build there to allow escape or assembly of troops should the British arrive. They also have some of the old machines that made stocks and other parts of the rifle.
The last time I checked there weren't any special tours available due to staffing issues. They, like so many other facilities, suffer from budget cuts. But the staff there are very friendly.
So a visit will educate you a bit more on the production of firearms and all around that building and the surrounding area you'll be in the middle of what was once the most productive manufacturing facility for firearms in the world. Don't forget that they made over 6 million Garands and Carbines, most at this facility or parts for most.
Every shooter should make the pilgrimage to Springfield once in their lives. We don't know how long it'll survive as long as the Fed continue to cut spending on "frivilous' items like American Historical sites.
Rome
PS I live 10 minutes away, myself!
R
It is my understanding that the upstairs is no longer available even for special tours. I have heard two reasons for this:
- Staffing cut-backs, AND
- Some clown during a special tour started handling the guns!!!!! The curators wear white cotton gloves when handling any of these guns, body oils can cause corrosion of the steel.
So, we'll have to settle on a downstairs tour only.
RichM
Retired Army Veteran
I think that building would qualify as a Federal Building where carry is prohibited. The grounds are also off-limits for carry or possession in MA (even with the lifting of the federal restrictions in National Parks) because it is the site of Springfield Technical Community College, and you drive through the college grounds to get access to and exit from the Armory.
I don't know how it could be possible to receive an exemption to the MA law for the purposes of something like donating firearms to the museum or evaluating a historical gun.
I don't know how it could be possible to receive an exemption to the MA law for the purposes of something like donating firearms to the museum or evaluating a historical gun.
GunGrey
Banned
Its free to go in and the downstairs part is not that bad, they really have some cool stuff. Me and a buddy went over the summer last year and wandered around for about 2 hours. We also weren't allowed upstairs but that really didnt stop us from trying to go up there. Made it all the way to the top just as we were about to go in the people there stopped us. I tried reasoning with them but it was fruitless and they asked us to leave.
RichM
Retired Army Veteran
Here's a link to the NPS site about the Armory.
RichM
Retired Army Veteran
I wish I had known this before I visited recently. The downstairs museum is interesting enough and perfectly fine for high school groups, etc... but is lacking a lot when it comes to serious research. The young folks on duty were very enthusiastic and polite, but could not answer any of my questions. On the day I was there, they told me that the resident historian was not available... a further disappointment.
The story I got on the upstairs part of the museum being closed (and, in fact, being removed) is that it was so dictated by the current Director of the NPS, Jonathan Jarvis, an Obama appointee (that should tell you all you need to know). Mr. Jarvis, a lefty environmental activist and Al Gore-approved "warmer", doesn't seem to have a lot of interest in our country's heritage as it related to firearms.
Perhaps the next Director will restore to us what Mr. Jarvis decided to take away.
CLMN
Thanks for the handicapped info. Still working on taking my Dad and maybe Father-In-Law as well. I think I'll wait until at least I am off the crutches though.
Edit to add: Just found this, the oldest arsenal in the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watervliet_Arsenal
Edit to add: Just found this, the oldest arsenal in the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watervliet_Arsenal
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OK, here are a lot of pictures from the 4/5/2010 tour of Springfield Armory by a handful of NES'rs, including our guests of honor . . . JuergenG, his Wife and Son.
Light reflection from the windows is terrible for taking pictures and I haven't had time to "edit" them to flip them yet . . . but here they are.
http://s581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/Len-Pub/Springfield Armory 0410/
Light reflection from the windows is terrible for taking pictures and I haven't had time to "edit" them to flip them yet . . . but here they are.
http://s581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/Len-Pub/Springfield Armory 0410/
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