Springfield Armory Marks Milestones with a Bang

It was just over a half-century ago that the Springfield Armory — the facility that gave the community its heritage of precision manufacturing and even its legacy as the City of Homes — was designated as a national historic site.

And those at the Armory, which now shares its home with Springfield Technical Community College, are celebrating that milestone in many different ways — from merchandise including clothing, pins, and a commemorative passport stamp to a celebration weekend slated for this fall.

But the 50th anniversary is just part of a loaded schedule of programs at the armory this year. There are also events to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, as well as programming that speaks to Springfield’s designation as an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service, the only one in the Commonwealth, said Susan Ashman, lead park ranger and historic weapons supervisor at the Armory.

It was during World War II that production at the Armory was at its peak, with more than 14,000 people working there producing weapons such as the legendary M1 Garand, said Ashman, adding that this indelible impact on the war, and the region, are big reasons why the Armory, the site for which was chosen by George Washington, was designated as a national historic site.

Today, as throughout its 50-year history, the Armory is a museum, visited by people from across the region and around the world, where visitors can see displays featuring everything from the Blanchard lathe — a turning point, literally and figuratively, when it comes to mass production — to weapons from several eras, to images of the men and women who worked there.

But it’s also the site of special programs, from recreations of historic battles to public talks, like the ones slated for later this year by several World War II-focused writers, including Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys, First Wave, and Liberator.

Then there’s the annual big-band show, slated this year for Saturday, July 19, which commemorates Benny Goodman’s band’s performance at the Armory in 1943.

As for that weekend celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Armory becoming a national historic site, it’s slated for Aug. 16-17, said Ashman, adding that there will be bands, presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and much more. In short, it will celebrate all that the Armory has meant to Springfield, the region, and the country.

The Springfield Armory is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more at www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm.

—George O’Brien