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• Technological Development (1812-1865)
• Changing World of Workers (1812-1865)
• Social and Cultural Connections (1812-1865)


• Technological Advancements (1892-1945)
• The People of the Armory (1892-1945)

Forge of Innovation

Springfield Armory 1794-1812

1. Map of New England
2. Benjamin Prescott

Springfield Armory 1812-1865

1. The Development of Technological Processes at the Springfield Armory
   1. Problems with U.S. musket production during War of 1812
      1. VIDEO - Demonstration of the flint lock rifle with reenactment and diagrams
      [The History of Firearms (2:44 – 4:46) – Armory Resource]
      2. GRAPHIC – Schematic of a flintlock rifle
      [Boarders Away II, William Gilkerson, Appendix 1 – Armory Resource]
      3. GRAPHIC – Detail of “The Lock”
      [Boarders Away II, William Gilkerson pg. 279 – Armory Resource]
   2. Establishment of U.S. Army Ordinance Department
      1. GRAPHIC – Map of Springfield Armory and Harpers Ferry Amory
      2. TEXT – Background essay on Harpers Ferry and its role
      3. GRAPHIC – Portrait of Lieutenant Colonel George Bomford
      Springfield Armory NHS
      4. GRAPHIC – Image of Building 11 (Continental Magazine)
      Springfield Armory NHS
   3. Decision to manufacture muskets with interchangeable parts [1815]
      1. INTERACTIVITY – Handmade vs. Interchangeable Parts Activity and Learning about Standards Activity
      Students are introduced to the basics of interchangeability by virtually piecing together a musket with hand made and interchangeable parts.
      2. TEXT – Background on Eli Whitney and roots of effort for interchangeability
      3. GRAPHIC – French model 1777 musket
      Springfield Armory NHS
   4. Creation of standards of gauging in “Armory Practice” at Springfield Armory
      1. INTERACTIVITY – Handmade vs. Interchangeable Parts Activity and Learning about Standards Activity
      2. TEXT – Background essay about the use of interchangeability in clock manufacturing in Connecticut
   5. Extension of “Armory Practice” to private musket contractors
      1. INTERACTIVITY – Map of Connecticut Valley Contractors
      This interactive map shows the location of Armory Contractors in the valley including dates of production, and locations
   6. Hall’s rifle [1820s-1840s]
      1. GRAPHIC – Map of Springfield Armory and Harpers Ferry Amory
      2. GRAPHIC – Photos and Schematic of Hall Rifle
      Springfield Armory NHS
   7. Successful achievement of mechanized interchangeable production [1822~1842]
      1. VIDEO – Operation of Blanchard Lathe
      Operation of Blanchard lathe and history of Thomas Blanchard and the lathe – eccentric lathe and what it is used for
      [The History of Firearms (4:44 – 4:46) – Armory Resource]
      2. VIDEO – Demonstration of Blanchard Lathe
      Demonstrates the creation of a stock for a musket
      [National Park Collection:  Springfield Armory (4:45 – 6:10) – Armory Resource]
      3. VIDEO - Percussion Rifle demonstration with reenactment and diagrams
      [The History of Firearms (13:15 – 15:37) – Armory Resource]
      4. GRAPHIC – Wood engraving “Western view of the Armory Buildings, Springfield
      [J.W. Barber, 1839 – Armory Resource]
      5. Text– Water Power
   8. International recognition of American “Armory Practice” [1851]
      1. VIDEO – Ripley Tour of Armory
      Shows reenactment of Superintendent Ripley giving tour of Armory to British delegation to study American technology and production methods, includes; 2nd generation Blanchard machines; demonstration of jigs and guides; discussion of the development of the American System and increased interchangeability; specialization of workers; influence of workers on the technology
      [National Park Collection:  Springfield Armory (6:45 – 9:10) – Armory Resource]
      2. VIDEO – Ripley Tour of Inspection Building
      Shows reenactment of tour of inspection building, includes early standards of tolerance and gauging; inspectors of Armory rigid requirements and private contractors; exchange of ideas between Armory and private contractors scenes of inside the inspection building
      [National Park Collection:  Springfield Armory (9:30 – 10:20) – Armory Resource]
   9. Tensions concerning use of Armory production just prior to Civil War
      1. DOCUMENT - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “The Arsenal at Springfield” published in 1845
      [transcription– Armory Resource]
      2. OUTSIDE LINK – Longfellow National Historic Site
      [http://www.nps.gov/long/]
      3. DOCUMENT – Article written by Jacob Abbot for Harpers Weekly in 1852
      [Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. No. XXVI. July, 1852]
      4. GRAPHIC – Drawing of the gun rack on display at the Armory today
      5. GRAPHIC – Photograph of Pipe Organ in the National Cathedral
      Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Theodor Horydczak Collection, LC-H8- C03-019
      (This instrument is similar to what Longfellow would have had in mind when comparing the gun rack to an organ)
   10. Springfield Armory’s critical contribution to preserving the Union
       1. VIDEO - The Armory during the Civil War
       Includes: mission of the Armory; discussion of the creation of a dependable and increasing number of rifles; huge increases in production; scenes of Civil War
       [National Park Collection:  Springfield Armory (10:23 –11:30) – Armory Resource]
       2. TEXT – Rifles manufactured by the Springfield Armory during the Civil War
       Provide background on the role of Armory created rifles during the Civil War and the impact on the soldiers
       Springfield Armory NHS
       3. GRAPHIC – “Bird’s eye view of the Springfield Armory in 1864”
       [National Park Service – Armory Resource]
       4. GRAPHIC –Table showing the number of rifles produced at Armory during the Civil War
       [Created based on Armory resources]
2. The Changing World of the Industrial Craftsmen
   1. Changes in the daily work of Armory workers -
      1. VIDEO – Craftsmen Tradition
      Craftsmen tradition shows reenactment of Springfield Armory 1799 includes: explanation of the “European System” with teams of skilled workers specialized in different tasks; forging barrel; shaping the lock; shows that pieces of a lock were filed to uniquely fit each other; shaping of gun stock
      [National Park Collection:  Springfield Armory (2:37 – 4:20) – Armory Resource]
      2. VIDEO – Worker and Industrialization I
      3. VIDEO – Worker and Industrialization II
      4. DOCUMENT – Article written by Jacob Abbot for Harpers Weekly in 1852 [Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. No. XXVI. July, 1852]
      5. DOCUMENT Payroll records September 1819
      [Springfield Armory/National Archives]
      6. DOCUMENT Payroll records October 1819
      [Springfield Armory/National Archives]
   2. The Factory Experience of Textile Workers and Armory Workers
      1. DOCUMENT – Excerpt from description of a Department of War Board that inspected Armory in 1842
      Describes pay and work day at the Armory
      [Report of the Secretary of War, 29th Congress 1st Session Senate Report, pgs. 255 - 256 – Connecticut Valley Historical Museum]
      2. OUTSIDE LINK – Lowell National Historical Park
      [http://www.nps.gov/lowe/2002/home.htm]
   3. Struggles over control at the Armory
      1. DOCUMENT –Transcript from the Court of Inquiry 1846
      List of accusations and complaints made by Springfield Residents
      [Report of the Secretary of War, 29th Congress 1st Session Senate Report, pgs. 2-4 – Connecticut Valley Historical Museum]
      2. DOCUMENT – Testimony of John Lombard about a worker fired for disorderly conduct
      [Report of the Secretary of War, 29th Congress 1st Session Senate Report, pgs 29 -30 – Connecticut Valley Historical Museum]
      3. DOCUMENT – Letter to Major Ripley from Charles Stearns about workers fired
      [Report of the Secretary of War, 29th Congress 1st Session Senate Report, pg. 213– Connecticut Valley Historical Museum]
3. Social and Cultural Connections between Armory and Springfield
   1. The Armory and Economic Development in Springfield
      1. DOCUMENT – Census Information – Springfield, Massachusetts
      2. GRAPHIC –Aerial view of Water Shops
      Springfield Armory NHS
      3. GRAPHIC – Water Shops 1830
      Springfield Armory NHS
   2. The Armory and the people of Springfield
      1. DOCUMENT –Church founding dates in Springfield
      [ H. Paul Douglass, The Springfield Church Survey (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1926]
      2. GRAPHIC –Blacksmith
      Springfield Armory NHS
      3. GRAPHIC –Barrel Worker
      Springfield Armory NHS
      4. GRAPHIC –Old Springfield
      Springfield Armory NHS

Springfield Armory 1892-1945

1. Technology and Manufacturing
   1. The Spanish American War and the Krag Jorgenson rifle
      1. The Krag-Jorgenson Rifle
         1. Krag-Jorgenson Rifle
         2. Krag with Bayonette
      2. Krag Design
         1. Exploded View of Krag
         2. Krag Receiver
         3. VIDEO-Operation of Krag Rifle
      3. Krag Production
         1. Lincoln Mill (Scientific American, 1899)
         2. Axial Drill (Scientific American, 1899)
         3. Krag Rifle with Specifications
      4. Krag Use in Spanish-American War
         1. Mauser Model 98
         2. VIDEO -Krag-Jorgensen Rifle in re-enactment of Spanish-American War battle
   2. The First World War and the Springfield Model 1903
      1. The Springfield Model 1903
         1. Two Model '03 Rifles
         2. Pratt & Whitney Lincoln Milling Machines, 1905
         3. Theodore Roosevelt Memo
         4. VIDEO - Operation of Model 1903
      2. Model '03 Design
         1. Niles-Bement-Pond Board Drop Hammers, 1905
         2. Pratt & Whitney Lincoln Milling Machines, 1905
         3. Pratt & Whitney Lathes, 1905
         4. Pratt & Whitney Rifling Machines, ca. 1917
         5. The Springfield Model 1903 Rifle
      3. Model '03 Production
         1. VIDEO: Production of the Springfield M1903
         2. Group Portrait, Armorers, 1918
         3. Women Hand-Loading Machine Gun Belts, 1918
         4. Pratt & Whitney Profiling Machine
      4. Model '03 Use in World War I
         1. Soldiers with M1903s
         2. Production Poster
         3. Examples of pay receipts with motivational graphics on backs
         4. Barrel Straightener
         5. Stocking Department
         6. Rifling Machine
   3. The Second World War and the M1 Rifle
      1. Introduction: The M1 Rifle
         Constance McLaughlin Greene– History of the Springfield Armory, Vol. II, Book I, pg. 43
         1. M1 with specifications
         2. Garand w/ the M1
      2. M1 Background
         Constance McLaughlin Greene–Tests and Developments of Semi-Automatic Shoulder Arms at the Springfield Armory, 1900-1914
         1. Preliminary Test Specifications
         2. Program of Test of Self-Loading Rifles
         3. Semi-Automatic Rifle Guidelines
         4. The Schouboe Semi-Automatic Rifle
         5. Attachments for the Service Rifle M1903
         6. New Designs of Semi-Automatics, 1910-1914
         7. The Bang Semi-Automatic Rifle
         8. Picture of the Bang Rifle
         9. Picture of the Action on the Bang Rifle
         10. Schematic of the M1903
         11. Picture of the Mannicher Carbine Rifle
         12. Picture of the Mauser Semi-Auto Carbine
         13. Picture of the Schouboe Rifle
         14. Picture of the Smith-Condit Rifle
      3. M1 Design
         Constance McLaughlin Greene– History of the Springfield Armory, Vol. II, Book I, pg. 48
         1. VIDEO: Operation of M1 Rifle
         2. M1 Specifications and Nomenclature
         3. Packing Up M1s
      4. M1 Production
         Modernization Increases Output at Springfield Armory, by Brigadier General GH Stewart, Commandant of the Springfield Armory, June, 1941
         1. VIDEO: Production of the M1 Rifle
         2. Armory Workers Posing for a Picture
         3. Worker Cutting Stock Tubing
         4. Woman is Observed as She Trains to Use the Gauge Checkers
         5. Worker Inspects the Rifling of a Barrel
         6. Forges at the Watershops
         7. Grinding Rear Sights for the M1
            
      5. Fluorescent Lighting
         Richard Colton
         1. Armory News: Building 104 with Flourescent Lighting
         2. Armorers Work on the Vertical Broach Machines Under Flourescent Lights
      6. Oral History
2. The People of the Springfield Armory
   1. African Americans
      1. Introduction
      1. An African-American Worker on the Greasing Conveyer
      2. James Storer - The First African-American Armory Worker
      3. Armory Workers Get Together for Lunch
      2. World War I
         1. The Great Migration
         2. Carnegie Study
         3. Armorers in Federal Square, 1918
      3. World War II
         1. Springfield Daily News November 15, 1943
         2. Discrimination Case Study
         3. Dunbar Record
         4. Oral History
         5. Scrapbook
   2. Women
      1. Hairstyles of the War Eras
         Jane Clancy
         
      2. World War I
         1. Introduction
            
         2. Making the World a More Decent Place to Live In
            Amber Bowles
            
         3. The Emergence of Kitchen Soldiers
            Kate Fontaine
            
         4. The Impact of the End of World War I on Female Armory Workers
            Rachel Caliri
            
         5. Women’s Roles in the Armory
            Virginia Allen
            
         6. Scrapbook
      3. World War II
         1. Introduction
            Richard Colton
            
         2. Women’s Fashion in War Work
            Alyson Harrod
            
         3. Child Care During World War II
            Alyssa Parks
            
         4. Connections to the Community and Leisure
            Christina Buldini
            
         5. The Roles of Women and Minorities in the Springfield Armory
            Kristina Winterbottom
            
         6. Longing won’t bring him back: Why Springfield women went to work for the Armory
            Kim Kramer
            
         7. Employment and Training of Women During World War II Production at Springfield Armory
            Frank Murphy
            
         8. Oral History
            
         9. Scrapbook
            
   3. Immigrants
      1. DOCUMENT The Armory News newsletter, October 1942
   4. Labor Disputes and Union Activity
      1. Introduction
      1. Star Gauging Rifles
      2. Labor Disputes in World War II
      A Woman Inspecting the Rifling of a Barrel
      3. Worker Safety in the Armory
      1. Women's Safety Requirements
      2. The Importance of Safety Glasses
      3. An Unlucky Worker is Injured
   5. Leisure Activities
      1. Civilian Uses of Military Rifles
      1. The Armory Rifle Team
      2. A Civilian Using a Springfield Rifle
      2. Shooting Clubs and Shützvereins
      The Springfield Turnverein