Springfield Armory National Historic Site holds the largest collection of historic U.S. military small arms in the world, inside the 1850 Main Arsenal.
Don’t miss
- Organ of Muskets: 647 Model 1861 rifle muskets in a Longfellow-inspired rack
- Main Arsenal building built in 1850
- World’s largest historic U.S. military small arms collection
Our notes
Springfield Armory made America’s military arms from 1794 until 1968, and its main arsenal building now holds what the Park Service calls the largest collection of historic American military firearms in the world. The line runs from the 1795 musket through the Trapdoor, Krag, 1903, M1 Garand and M14, with prototypes, cutaway training guns and arms donated by presidents.
Timeline
- 1777 George Washington approves Springfield as an arsenal
- 1794 National armory begins making muskets
- 1819 Thomas Blanchard’s copying lathe introduced
- 1919 John Garand joins the Armory
- 1936 M1 Garand adopted
- 1968 Armory closes
- 1978 National Historic Site opens
Plan your visit
- Check the NPS Alerts page before going; winter storms can close the park.
- Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Nearby on the guide
More history: All firearm museums · Massachusetts guide
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