Begin your visit to the site of the nation’s first (& last) armory by finding the great iron gate on Federal Street through which generations have passed. The Museum, in the Main Arsenal, is found by driving through the Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) campus. Follow signs & the perimeter road to the free parking (see DIRECTIONS above).  This website helps you find activities and scheduled events (see OPERATING HOURS & SEASONS as well as THINGS TO DO above).

Displayed in the Museum is about a fifth of the unmatched American collection of historic military firearms. Springfield Armory-made shoulder arms and other weapons form a unique national reference collection housed on-site. At the Museum, you have before you early American industrial tools & machinery used at the Armory to create interchangeable muskets nearly two centuries ago. Among them is the sole surviving 1822 Blanchard stock-shaping lathe and a three-tenths scale working model that you can see cutting a miniature muskets stock! A colorful 18-minute orientation film introduces you to nearly two centuries of Armory history. Youngsters may also find themselves challenged by our Junior Ranger Program (where dress-ups may be found) or by working the double life-sized flintlock Springfield musket model.

Using this website, you’ll find on the HOME PAGE our Special Events schedule, School Programs, and our new ground-breaking educational & historical website. And for those who wish to know more about the historic Springfield shoulder arms they may see, Firearm Serial Numbers may be found under Quicklinks.

The Historic Site is FREE year-round, and we look forward to your visit. Enjoy your trip!