Springfield Armory National Historic Site ⓘ

The Springfield Armory Museum opened to the public in 1800's and was run by the Department of the Army as an integral part of the Springfield Armory. The NPS museum program now preserves these resources for future generations and makes these collections available for research, public enjoyment, and education.

Started as a technical reference library for the workers and engineers at Springfield Armory, the museum collection has grown into one of the largest collections of military small arms in the world. While the bulk of the collections are not on public display, the catalog records of the objects are available online.

Additional historic materials preserved by SPAR include fine art, historic artifacts, architectural elements and memorabilia. Archeological and geological materials, collected under permits, are also cared for by the museum.

NPS Museum Collections Site: National Park Service Museum Collections - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (nps.gov)

Appointments are required for use of SPAR collections. Limited space and staff affect our ability to accommodate researchers, so we generally cannot conduct research for patrons.

Access to materials is dependent upon their physical condition. If you would like to inquire about researching the collection or set up a research appointment, please email the curator .

Quarters 1, or the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, built under the direction of Major James Wolfe Ripley between 1845-1847, replaced the 1820 Superintendent’s Quarters located on what is now the site of the Main Arsenal, Building 13 and was condemned in 1843.

Continuously for almost 170 years the Commanding Officer’s Quarters housed the Superintendents and Commandants of Springfield Armory, beginning with Major James Ripley and ending with Lt. Colt C.B. Zumwalt when the Armory closed in April 1968.

“Were the house my own I have no hesitation in saying that instead of making the contemplated repairs I should at once adopt the suggestion of the builders….and remodel and rebuild the House.”

This request was denied due to local scrutiny of Springfield Armory and a shortage of funds, but in 1843 Major Ripley applied again and the funds for construction were approved.

Ripley initially requested funds ($10,000) in 1842 to rebuild the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, which was denied and in 1843, Ripley again requested funds ($12,000) which was approved; he began entering contracts for materials and construction of the quarters. Due to its extravagance it was often referred to as “Ripley’s Palace” and his “magnificent mansion.”

In the early 1850s renewed efforts to reinstate civil leadership at National Armories prompted reports being sent to Congress on the running of armories under the military. Springfield Armory underwent examination.

Initial reports concluded that construction of the Commanding Officer’s Quarters cost around $72,325 (which included land purchased, cost of the building, and cost of landscaping). This was seen as an unreasonable amount to spend, given that many houses in the era cost only a few thousand dollars. And in the 1860s a duplex built on the grounds (the Junior Officer’s Quarters) cost around $15,000.

Major Ripley responded to this report by stating that the construction of the Quarters cost around $21,000 and that the land purchased cost around $3,000 for a total estimated cost around $24,000. What was the true cost of the building? We may never know, but it led to increased scrutiny of Springfield Armory and its Commanding Officer.

The house was built in the Greek Revival style using brownstone from a quarry in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts for its foundation. With bold but simple details, pillars supporting the porch coverings and on either side of the main door, the Quarters took command of the ground. A circular drive was placed in front and walkways circled the Quarters. The Commanding Officer’s Quarters has numerous marble fireplaces, elaborate carved borders, pocket doors, built in bookcases and shelves, and parquet flooring. Water was piped to the building in 1845 and gas was introduced in 1851.

The building of Quarters 1 failed to go unnoticed by those who resented Ripley’s appointment. Ripley, over the course of his tenure, was engaged in a few controversies. One such controversy included firing workers from the Armory, under the guise that they were taking advantage of the looser regulations under civilian leadership of the Armory.

“…irregular work hours, leaving the shops at pleasure to attend to private concerns, reading newspaper during hours of labor, and smoking in the shops. The most serious abuse of all was the established idea that the men were entitled to their places….the pretentions of the men were such, if yield to, placed the establishment under their control.” Major Ripley to the Court of Inquiry at Springfield, March 16th, 1846

He replaced these workers with individuals who followed him from his previous station at Kennebec Arsenal. The firings resulted in a surplus of housing in Springfield as the fired workers left to find jobs, resulting in a depressed housing market. Some workers, residents of Springfield, and Springfield City Officials resented the military structure implemented by Ripley at the Armory. These, among other claims, resulted in an investigation by the Military Court and one of the thirteen charges brought against Ripley related to the construction of his elaborate quarters.

With the close of the Armory in 1968, the Commanding Officer’s Quarters has since served many functions including a conservation laboratory, a maintenance shop, office space and a place for programs and special functions. In 1960 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark and is listed in the National Historic Landmarks Register. In October 1974 it became a part of the National Park Service when Springfield National Historic Site was authorized. Today the building sits vacant as work continues to restore and preserve it to a period of significance. Take a walk around the building, view the grand exterior, and look out upon the City of Springfield just as the Commandant and his family would have done for over one hundred years.

Situated on the southern corner of the Green, atop a hill overlooking the city of Springfield, sits the Junior Officer’s Quarters (Buildings 5 and 6). The site of the Junior Officer’s Quarters sat empty until the U.S. Fire Engine House was constructed in 1851.With the proposal of a new fire house at a different location in the Hill Shops in 1866 (on the North side of the Green), the building was likely used as a guard shack until the construction of the Quarters.

After the Civil War, the Armory underwent changes as Bvt. Col. J.G. Benton looked to make improvements including a stable and carriage storage, repairs and improvements to the Pay Masters House and Clerks Quarters, the addition of a large green house, various landscaping changes (including a reflecting pool and fountain by the Commanding Officer’s Quarters and cannons lining the green), and the construction of the Junior Officer’s Quarters.

Col. Benton submitted a request for funds for the Junior Officer’s Quarters in 1867, which was not approved, but two years later, in March of 1869, he submitted new plans and estimates which were approved. “The plan now submitted is for two families and may be needed should another officer be sent here for duty.” Col. Benton wrote to Col T.J. Treadwell in 1869 referencing the change from a single-family home to a duplex.

The new plan also included a new location for the Quarters on the site of the Fire Engine House as it was deemed to be “much pleasanter and more convenient” than the original location in line with the Clerk’s Quarters. The estimated cost for the buildings was around $15,000 which was around the same cost of the original estimate for a single-family house. In 1869 the construction of the duplex began with the masonry structure completed in 1870. The Junior Officer’s Quarters was built in the Second Empire Style with many architectural elements that reflected the Victorian Period influence. The Quarters had a mansard roof, dormer windows, arched window heads, and bracket cornices, creating an elaborate, freeform house. This departure, from the classical architecture used in many of the other Hill Shop buildings, gave the Junior Officer’s Quarters and the southern corner of the Green a distinctive look and feel.

The Junior Officer’s Quarters were listed in the Massachusetts Most Endangered Historic Resources in 2017 and the building underwent major restoration including rebuilding portions of the foundation and historic chimneys, as well as repointing the brickwork. In 1960, it was designated as a contributing building to the Springfield Armory National Historic Landmark and is registered in the National Historic Register of Historic Landmarks. With the close of the Armory in 1968, the building ownership was transferred to the State of Massachusetts to Springfield Technical Community College. Today while the building is not occupied, it still brings remembrance to the families of the Armory.

The dominating feature of Springfield Armory National Historic Site is the Main Arsenal (Building 13) with its clock tower and view of the Armory grounds.

Springfield Armory was established in 1777 as a federal arsenal; as an arsenal, firearms that supplied the Continental Army during the American Revolution were stored here. After the Revolution, Springfield Arsenal was officially established as a federal armory where arms could be stored and produced.

in 1794 under the authorization of George Washington. Harpers Ferry , our sister armory, was the second site selected for an armory. Early in the Civil War the arsenal and armory at Harpers Ferry were torched leaving Springfield Armory as the Nation’s only federal armory producing small arms for the Union. As Springfield Armory underwent the transition from an arsenal to armory it expanded, as it no longer just stored firearms, but manufactured them, as well. Additional buildings were added to the Hill Shops, the Water Shops were consolidated, and development occurred at Federal Square to aid in the production of firearms.

The Main Arsenal has undergone many changes including painting of the brick exterior. The paint scheme at one point was salmon, then replaced with yellow orchid with brown trim; the paint was sandblasted off in 1937. During the first forty years, items were moved between floors using a hoist system in the tower, but a hydraulic elevator was installed in 1897; the current elevator was installed between 1940-1941. Electricity came to the building by 1906 and water as early as 1879, but perhaps even earlier as noted by some maps. It is likely that the building wasn’t heated until 1906 when a steam plant was installed at the Armory.

The original plaster ceiling was later replaced with ornate pressed metal panels and during World War II restrooms were added for women. After the Armory closed in 1968, the Main Arsenal housed a television studio until 1980.

In 1852, when Springfield was incorporated as a city, the Armory was included in the city seal. While the City has built up around the Armory, the impact and significance of the Armory remains firmly rooted, which can be seen by gazing upon the Main Arsenal as it sits atop the hill overlooking the City of Springfield.

In 1960 the Main Arsenal was identified as a contributing building to the Springfield Armory National Historic Landmark designation and in October 1974 it became a part of the National Park System as Springfield Armory National Historic Site, which officially opened to the public in 1978. Today the Main Arsenal serves as a museum which tells the story of the workers, technological innovation, firearm development, and the impact the Armory had on Springfield, the surrounding communities, and the United States.

On a chill Spring morning in 1968, amid speeches and farewell addresses, the men and women of Springfield Armory bid each other goodbye as the 'Stars and Stripes' were lowered for the last time. After nearly two centuries of continuous production of rifles and muskets used by America's armed forces in every war in the nation's history, the armory closed its gates and fell silent. Begun as a major arsenal under the authority of General George Washington early in the Revolutionary War, the first national armory began manufacturing muskets in 1794. Within decades, Springfield Armory had perfected pioneering manufacturing methods that were critical to American industrialization. Reopened in 1978 as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, the original 1840's arsenal houses the world's largest collection of historic American military firearms. Year-round public programs, exhibits, and special events are hosted on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark.

Springfield Armory National Historic Site offers something for visitors of all ages! Take a self-guided tour through our museum! See our historic firearms collection as well as machinery used in firearms manufacturing. Museum hours are 9:30am-4:00pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Take a self-guided walk around the grounds and see the exteriors of historic structures used by the Armory! Join a park historian for programs on the weekends! These talks and guided walks cover various parts of the Armory's history. Programs occur on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30am and 1:30pm, unless a Special Event is occurring that day. Indoor and (weather permitting) outdoor programs are offered. We offer Junior Ranger activities for kids and kids at heart! Earn a Junior Ranger badge, create your own Springfield Armory pin, and much more! See our Schedule of Events for upcoming events, and look at our gallery for photos from past events!

Springfield Armory National Historic Site One Armory Square Suite 2 Springfield, MA 01105

413 734-8551 The phone is answered during museum operating hours. All other times callers will be prompted to leave a voice message that will be received and responded to during museum operating hours.