Editing Springfield Armory (section)

{{short description|National Historic Site of the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{about|the U.S. government arsenal|the commercial manufacturer and importer of firearms|Springfield Armory, Inc.}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Springfield Armory National Historic Site
| nrhp_type            = nhld
| nocat                = yes
| nrhp_type2           = nhs
| image                = Springfield Arsenal as seen from south facade.jpg
| caption              = The clocktower of the Main Arsenal building, built in 1847
| location             = Armory Sq., [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Massachusetts]], United States
| coordinates          = {{coord|42|6|29|N|72|34|54|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin             = Massachusetts#USA
| area = {{convert|54.93|acre|km2}}<ref name="area">{{NPS area|year=2012|access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref>
| built                = {{start date and age|1778}}
| architect            =
| architecture         = Greek Revival
| designated_nrhp_type = December 19, 1960
| added                = October 15, 1966
| website              = [http://www.nps.gov/spar Springfield Armory National Historic Site]
| refnum               = 66000898<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
}}

The '''Springfield Armory''', more formally known as the '''United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield''' located in the city of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military [[firearms]] from 1777 until its closing in 1968. It was the first federal armory and one of the first factories in the United States dedicated to the manufacture of weapons.<ref>Smith, Robert F. "Manufacturing Independence: Industrial Innovation in the American Revolution." Westholme Publishing, August 2016.</ref> The site is preserved as the '''Springfield Armory National Historic Site''', [[Western Massachusetts]]' only unit of the [[National Park Service|national park system]]. It features the world's largest collection of historic American firearms.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm Springfield Armory National Historic Site – Springfield Armory National Historic Site]. Nps.gov (2013-08-02). Retrieved on 2013-08-21.</ref>

Famous first as the United States' primary arsenal during the [[American Revolutionary War]], and then as the scene of a confrontation during [[Shays' Rebellion]], the Springfield Armory in the 19th and 20th centuries 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. The facility would play a decisive role in the [[American Civil War]], producing most of the weaponry used by Union troops which, in sum, outpaced Confederate firearm production by a ratio of 32 to 1.<ref>{{cite web|archive-date=September 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918124714/https://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm%3Fid%3D251|url=https://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=251|title=Industry and Economy during the Civil War|last=Arrington|first=Benjamin T.|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> American historian [[Merritt Roe Smith]] has posited that advancements in machine manufacturing which allowed the facility to increase production capacity by more than 25 fold, from 9,601 rifles in 1860 to 276,200 in 1864, served as a precursor to the mass production of the [[Second Industrial Revolution]] and 20th century assembly line production.<ref name="MRS_cspan">{{cite AV media | people = [[Merritt Roe Smith]] | date = 9 November 2012 | title = Northern Weapons Manufacturing during the Civil War; keynote address of the 2012 Smithsonian Institution's Technology and the Civil War symposium | via = C-SPAN | url = https://www.c-span.org/video/?309361-1/northern-weapons-manufacturing-civil-war&start=1340
 | publisher = C-SPAN
}}</ref> The numerous firearm models produced at the Springfield Armory from 1794 to 1968 are referred to as "Springfield [[Springfield musket|muskets]] and [[Springfield rifle|rifles]]".