Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory , located in the city of Springfield , Massachusetts , was the primary center for the manufacture of U . S . military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968 . The site is preserved as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site , Western Massachusetts ' only unit of the national park system . It features the world ' s largest collection of historic American firearms . Famous first as the United States ' primary arsenal during the American Revolutionary War , and then as the scene of a confrontation during Shays ' s 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 . Numerous firearm models produced at the Springfield Armory from 1794 to 1968 were referred to as " Springfield rifle s " . Founding ( 1777 ) . Local and colonial militia used the bluff on which the Springfield Armory would become located during the 17th century for militia training , particularly after the Attack on Springfield during King Phillip ' s War . In 1777 , during the American Revolutionary War , George Washington scouted and approved the site of the Springfield Armory , after it was referred to him by General Henry Knox , his artillery chief . Although a small town at the time , Springfield , Massachusetts , offered obvious geographical advantages — it lay at the intersection of three rivers ( including the major Connecticut River ) , and four major roads headed toward New York City , Boston , Albany , New York , and Montreal . Additionally , Springfield is located just north of the Connecticut River ' s first waterfall ( Enfield Falls ) , which is too steep to be navigated by ocean - going vessels . Thus , Springfield was the first town on the Connecticut River protected from attack by seafaring naval vessels . The Armory site itself sits atop a high bluff like a citadel , overlooking a wide stretch of the Connecticut River , at its confluence with the Westfield River . General Knox concurred with Washington that " the plain just above Springfield is perhaps one of the most proper spots on every account " for the location of an arsenal . In 1777 , patriot colonists established " The Arsenal at Springfield " to manufacture cartridges and gun carriages for the war effort . During the Revolution , the arsenal stored muskets , cannon , and other weapons . Patriots built barracks , shops , storehouses , and a magazine . Some doubt exists that the colonists manufactured arms during the Revolutionary War . After the war , the Army kept the facility to store arms for future needs . By the 1780s , the Springfield Arsenal functioned as a major ammunition and weapons arsenal . Some time later , when manufacturing became important , the arsenal expanded to a second area south and west in Springfield , where water power was available . Around that time , the Mill River was dammed to form a mile - long lake called Watershops Pond . The main shops were behind the dam and a foundry was built below it . This factory was modernized , and the greater part of machining for Springfield and Garand rifles was conducted in it . Shays ' Rebellion ( 1787 ) . In 1786 , Daniel Shays , a Revolutionary War soldier , became one of the leaders of a large group of rebels , who came mostly from Western Massachusetts , but also from surrounding states . These rebels had grievances with the Government of Massachusetts , which ranged from land seizure for debts incurred while fighting the Revolutionary War to the paucity of hard currency . Rebels planned to use the armory ' s weapons to seize control of the state government . The armory was defended by state militia , who fired grape shot at the rebels on January 25 , 1787 , driving them away . The rebellion was crushed soon afterward . This event had some influence on the Federal Constitution Convention , in which the United States Constitution was drafted , giving the federal government more power than the individual states . Shays ' Rebellion led many of the upper classes , who feared a popular uprising , to vote for the new federal Constitution that supported a stronger central government . Production ( 1795 – 1968 ) . In 1793 , the National Arsenal contained brass ordnance , howitzers , traveling carriages , shot strapt , canisters filled , quilted grape , iron shot , shells , powder , musket ball , cylinders , caps , paper cartridges , fuzes filled , muskets , swords , various military stores , and implements . In 1795 , the Springfield Armory produced the new nation ' s first musket . Fueled by the Springfield Armory , the City of Springfield quickly became a national center for invention and development . In 1819 Thomas Blanchard developed a special lathe for the consistent mass production of rifle stocks . Thomas Blanchard worked at Springfield Armory for 5 years . The lathe enabled an unskilled workman to quickly and easily turn out identical irregular shapes . The large drum turned two wheels : a friction wheel that followed the contours of the metal rifle pattern , and the cutting wheel that imitated the movements of the friction wheel to make an exact replica of the pattern in wood . In the 1840s the old flintlock gave way to a percussion ignition system that increased the reliability and simplicity of longarms . The Springfield Armory was largely involved in the growth and influence of the Industrial Revolution . Much of this grew out of the military ' s fascination with interchangeable parts , which was based on the theory that it would be easier to simply replace firearm parts than make battlefield repairs . Mass production of truly interchangeable parts demanded greater use of machines , improved gauging , quality control , and division of labor ; all characteristics of the Industrial Revolution . From these individual components , the concept of the assembly line was devised . The Springfield Armory also contributed to improved business management techniques . Colonel Roswell Lee , hired as superintendent in 1815 , brought centralized authority , cost accounting for payroll , time , and materials , and increased discipline to a manufacturing environment — all business practices still in use today . In 1843 , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visited the Armory and wrote his poem " The Arsenal at Springfield . " The anti - war poem described the rows of finished guns , by that point 1 , 000 , 000 stockpiled there , stored vertically in open racks : " Like a huge organ , rise the burnished arms . " With the destruction of the Harpers Ferry Armory early in the American Civil War , the Springfield Armory was briefly the only government manufacturer of arms , until the Rock Island Arsenal was established in 1862 . In 1865 , Master Armorer Erskine Allin introduced the " Allin Conversion " , which incorporated the far more advanced design of breech - loading into the now - obsolete muzzleloader s , thereby extending their service life . In 1891 a new function was assigned to the Armory – – it became the army ' s main laboratory for the development and testing of new small arms . One of the most distinctive elements of the Armory is the fence surrounding the site , which was started after the Civil War and completed in 1890 . Unable to find funding for the purchase of a fence , Major James W . Ripley requested obsolete cannons from government storage , some from the Revolutionary War . He had the cannons sent to a local foundry to be melted down . The foundry kept some of the iron as payment , and the remainder was cast into 9 - foot palings , formed as pikes and spearheads which were then sunk into a red sandstone base . During the Spanish - American War , it was recognized that the Spanish Mauser Model of 1893 , exhibited characteristics superior to the " trapdoor " Springfield and Krag - Jørgensen rifles carried by the United States troops . On August 15 , 1900 , Springfield Armory completed an experimental magazine rifle which they believed to be an improvement over the Krag . They fashioned a clip loading magazine rifle in which the cartridges were contained within the stock , preventing damage to an otherwise exposed magazine . It was approved for production in as the Model 1903 . Mauser later sued for patent infringement and won royalties from Springfield . By the time that the United States entered World War I , approximately 843 , 239 standard service Model 1903 rifles had been manufactured . However this was insufficient to arm U . S . troops for an undertaking of the magnitude of World War I . During the war Springfield Armory produced over 265 , 620 Model 1903 rifles . In addition , the War Department contracted for production of the M1917 Enfield Rifle to help aid American troops . These , along with the additional 47 , 251 rifles produced by the Rock Island Arsenal and the weapons already in service , were enough to supply the war effort . In 1919 , when John Garand was 31 , he came to Springfield , where he worked to develop a semi - automatic rifle . Over the next five years many designs were submitted for the rifle , but none met the army ' s rigid specifications . In 1924 , Garand offered a design that was approved for further testing . This was the famous M1 , or " Garand rifle " as it came to be known . The army adopted the rifle in 1936 , and production began the next year . This began what was to become the greatest production effort in the armory ' s history : during the entire production history of the M1 rifle , the Springfield Armory produced over 4 . 5 million of them . The M1 ' s accuracy and durability in battle earned it high praise . General Douglas MacArthur reported on the M1 to the Ordnance Department during heavy fighting on Bataan that : " Under combat conditions it operated with no mechanical defects and when used in foxholes did not develop stoppages from dust or dirt . It has been in almost constant action for as much as a week without cleaning or lubrication . " Further testament to the M1s role in combat was given by another well respected military officer . General George S . Patton , Jr . reported to the Ordnance Department on January 26 , 1945 : " In my opinion , the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised . " In the face of overwhelming odds , the capability of the M1 rifle to deliver superior firepower would most often carry the day . The last small arm developed by the Armory was the M14 . The M14 has evolved over the years into a more modern sniper rifle — the M21 . By the time the U . S . was involved in the Vietnam War , Springfield Armory developed not only rifles but machine gun s for ground and air use , grenade launcher s , and associated equipment . Many weapons were not manufactured at the Armory , but plans and specifications were drawn up for the use of private contractors who built them elsewhere . Closure and rebirth as a National Historic Site ( 1968 – present ) . In 1968 , U . S . Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announced the closure of the Springfield Armory . Outer portions of the armory were sold off , including the " Water Shops " production facilities , which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Water Shops Armory . The core site was preserved and the property was turned over to the city and state . It is now the Springfield Armory National Historic Site , and is managed and operated by the National Park Service . As of 2011 , the 35 acres behind the Springfield Armory ( and several of its former buildings ) house Springfield Technical Community College ( STCC ) . STCC is the only " technical " community college in Massachusetts , and aims to continue the legacy of technological innovation at the Springfield Armory site . The Main Arsenal Building and the Commandants House were extensively renovated by Eastern General Contractors of Springfield , MA between 1987 and 1991 . The Main Arsenal now houses the Springfield Armory Museum , which includes the Benton Small Arms Collection , one of the largest collections of weaponry . Licensing the name " Springfield Armory " . In 1974 , the Springfield Armory name was licensed to Robert Reese , to form Springfield Armory , Inc . , a company that manufactures semi - automatic versions of the M14 rifle and M1911 pistol . The company is not located in or near Springfield , Massachusetts and has no association with the original Springfield Armory . Springfield Armory , Inc . is based out of Geneseo , Illinois .