Total Audio Length: loading...
Welcome to the audio-described and self-guided tour around Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
This is a different tour than the one focused on the "wayside signs," which are the black metal signs posted around the park. That tour complements this one, but this one is intended to give a more holistic understanding of the larger campus area, as well as to offer highlights, landmarks, and notable stories about the place.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site offers many ways for people who are blind or who have low-vision to participate fully in the site's activities, including a collection of audio-described media, such as this self-guided tour. Other options on this UniD app include an hour-long audio-described brochure, the "wayside sign" tour, a museum map, and a park handout.
The cover of the tri-fold brochure about the Self-Guided Walking Tour at Springfield Armory National Historic Site and the Springfield Technical Community College features two line drawings and the following text:
IMAGE 1 of 2
DESCRIBING: A horizontal black-and-white line drawing.
DESCRIPTION: An illustration of a large, rectangular building includes its three-story-tall clock tower, its arched entryway, and the tall flag pole that rises far above the roof line. The clocktower is at the center of the symmetrical structure, which has two wings. Rows of orderly windows line each wing of the three above-ground stories. Small trees and bushes appear sporadically at the edges and in front of the building, with no people present.
IMAGE 2 of 2
DESCRIBING: A vertical black-and-white line drawing.
DESCRIPTION: A different view, from the other side of the Springfield Armory Museum building, shows a second flagpole, this one on the grounds near the building, as well as another entryway flanked by five three-story tell Greek columns.
RELATED TEXT: One Armory Square, Springfield, Massachusetts, 01105
TEXT: Welcome to the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. This 55-acre site has played an important role in the history of the United States, as well as in the expansion of the Greater Springfield community. The Armory set Springfield on the path of industrial development and, by bringing in new workers, contributed to the city's social and religious diversity.
The grounds are divided in jurisdiction, with 20 acres administered by the National Park Service, featuring the Springfield Armory Museum, and 35 acres constituting the campus of Springfield Technical Community College.
The Springfield Armory is famous for the development of the Springfield Rifle and the Garand or M1 Rifle, as well as for the manufacturing innovation of irregularly shaped parts, leading to mass production. Springfield Technical Community College is continuing this tradition of technological advances, with training programs in CAD/CAM, CIM, robotics and laser technology.
In 1794, George Washington approved this site on the bluff overlooking the Connecticut River for the first national armory. The land had been used as a training field for militia since the 1600s, and by the 1780s was a major ammunition depot.
In January of 1787, Pelham farmer Daniel Shays led his ill-fated rebellion down the Bay Path, now State Street, attempting to capture the military stores in protest of heavy taxation following the Revolutionary War. The conflict is commemorated by a plaque on a rock in the area known as Benton Park, near Federal Square.
Before construction was begun on Armory Square, buildings were rented on Main Street in Springfield, a powder mill was rebuilt on the Mill River, and a magazine for storage erected on what is now Magazine Street. A two-story manufacturing building, constructed in 1809, burned down on a cold and windy day in March 1824. A bucket brigade was formed, to no avail, and cinders were blown as far as the Water Shops on Rifle Street. After that, construction was confined to brick structures which, until the early part of this century, were painted in a salmon shade.
Production of weapons at the Armory began in 1795 when 30 muskets were produced monthly by 40 workers. With the destruction of Harpers Ferry in the Civil War, the Springfield Armory became the only federal manufacturing point for small arms until the early 20th century. Production peaked in 1943 when 5,000 rifles were manufactured daily by 13,800 workers. After World War II, the Armory emphasized research and development rather than production, and in 1964 the decision to phase out the Armory was announced.
In the same year, Springfield Technical Institute was established by the City of Springfield on the campus of the former Trade High School, and was operated jointly by the Springfield School Committee and the Massachusetts Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The Institute was flooded with more applications than it could handle in a limited space, and the plans to decommission the Armory provided a solution.
In the summer of 1967, STI moved into three buildings on the Armory grounds, and opened in September as the 12th regional community college in the state system. In April of 1968, the Armory was officially closed, and in August the Institute's name was changed to Springfield Technical Community College. STCC is one of the largest, and the most comprehensive of the state community colleges, offering 41 associate degree programs with 23 options and four certificate programs to over 6,000 day and evening students.
DESCRIBING: A horizontal black-and-white illustrated map, showing outlines and locations of the buildings at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
SYNOPSIS: This map of the Springfield Armory historic area shows a rectangular city center composed of one large city block, tilted onto a corner, at 45-degrees, creating a shape like a slightly stretched baseball diamond. This shift in linear perspective gives the three-dimensional appearance that the lower part of the diamond, where home plate would be, is closer to the viewer, and also larger in scale, like the batter and catcher might appear larger than the pitcher, and, in this case, the buildings in the lower corner appear larger than the buildings in the top of the diamond. There is no compass on this map, making it unclear which way is north and what other landmarks might be around. For this description, using the baseball diamond metaphor, consider a roughly square shape, standing on one of its corners, where there is the bottom corner, as home plate, the right corner as first base, the top corner as second base, and the left corner as third base.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The streets that border this square of Springfield, Massachusetts are: Federal Street, which creates the frame of the lower left part of the diamond, between third base and home plate, State Street, the upper left of the diamond, between second and third base, and Pearl Street, the lower right of the diamond, between home and first base. The street that creates the upper right part of the diamond, between first and second bases, is unnamed.
There is a large grassy area in the upper left part of the diamond, which would be just in front of a shortstop and third baseman, ringed by single-storied structures. Most of the buildings, including the multi-story buildings, are clustered in the lower right, between where the pitcher and the first baseman would be. Each building has been given a number, and those buildings are described below under labels with their number, in other descriptions. This visual map does not have those labels directly attached. The map itself has no other labels or key, either, meaning people need to read the rest of the text of the brochure to make sense of the map and the numbered buildings, flipping back and forth between pages.
The buildings vary in size and layout, with some forming L-shapes, squares, or elongated rectangles. The numbered ordering of the buildings does not follow a consistent pattern. For example, building No. 1 is slightly outside of the main triangle on the map, in the upper right, where right field would be, and building No. 2 is just inside the diamond, across the street from it, but the next closest buildings to No. 2 are No. 10 and No. 13. Several buildings also are not numbered, and some numbers are missing.
RELATED TEXT: Springfield Armory, 200 Years, 1794 - 1994
TEXT: Behind Garvey Hall is a grassy open area which through the years has undergone a series of name changes on Armory maps. In 1824 it was referred to as the Green; by 1880 when the Main Arsenal was completed, it was called Tower Hill. During the Civil War it was known as Union Square, and six cannon were located here, one used as a sunrise and sunset gun. By 1899 the quadrangle was labelled as Armory Square; now it is once again simply the Green, where classes sometimes gather under the trees in spring, and STCC athletic teams hold practice sessions.
Lt. Col. Roswell Lee, appointed in 1815 as the first military superintendent of the Armory, began landscaping on the bluff, edging the south (State Street) and west (Byers Street) sides of the sandy plain. Major James W. Ripley, commanding officer from 1841 to 1854, was responsible for an active program of land acquisition and construction as well as creating the central Green, or Parade.
A visitor in the late 1840s commented on the "large and handsome" buildings, "arranged around the sides of a spacious square which is ornamented with walks and rows of trees." He continued, "The effect is one of appearing like buildings of a college."
TEXT: Forming the west side of the quadrangle is the Armory Museum, formerly the Main Arsenal, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Construction of this building in 1846-50 was partially copied from the design of the East India House in London. An engraving of the building was chosen for the upper portion of the seal of Springfield when it became a city in 1852.
Col. James Benton, commanding officer from 1866 to 1881, organized the small arms collection that now forms the core of the Armory Museum. The collection grew steadily over the years with the addition of wartime trophies and experimental pieces. A 1974 Act of Congress established Springfield Armory as a National Historic Site, and in 1978 the National Park Service assumed operation of the museum.
The National Park Service recently completed a $4.5 million renovation of the museum, including a general remodeling and rewiring, and adding a theater/meeting room to show an introductory film and other audio-visual presentations. Entirely new exhibits are now displayed. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 5:00.
TEXT: Quarters 1, the Commanding Officer's Quarters, now houses the administrative offices of the National Park Service for the site. Constructed in 1845-47 under Major Ripley, this is actually the second commanding officer's quarters. The first building, south of the current location, was inspected in 1843 and found to need complete reconstruction. Ripley had it torn down and constructed the new building in Greek Revival style. Around 1870 the Doric portico and porches were replaced with more delicate cast iron.
At the turn of the century, the Byers Street gate was used as the main entrance, and Springfield residents would arrive in horse-drawn carriages for occasional social events.
TEXT: Building 10, originally the Master Armorer's house, at one time flanked the Main Arsenal with the home of the Paymaster. (Also listen to the description of Building 17). Around 1880, Building 10 was moved to its present location, and was thereafter used for a variety of purposes, among them an infirmary. The building is currently vacant and unusable.
TEXT: One of the most interesting buildings on campus, Building 19 dates to the Civil War, although some portions are older. Originally built partially as a casern, a combination stable/barracks for cavalry, it may be one of the best remaining examples of this type of facility in the United States. Although commonly referred to as "the stables," the building was used only as a storehouse until a few years ago when it housed the Springfield Mounted Police patrol.
In 1863, when foundations were being dug for Building 19, the remains of 12 soldiers buried in full regimentals were found, presumably soldiers quartered here during the War of 1812.
In later years, an electric locomotive using trolley poles and overhead wires was routed past Building 19 and across to Federal Square, carrying fuel and supplies.
TEXT: We'll begin our walking tour in front of the building designated as 16 by the Armory and rededicated in 1984 in honor of STCC's founding president.
The statue of an Indian gazing south to State Street depicts Toto, the Pecousic Indian who is credited with warning the Springfield settlers in 1675 when King Philip burned the town, intending to massacre the inhabitants. The statue was donated to Springfield in 1927 by the Connecticut Valley Historical Society, and was originally placed on Pecousic Hill, the traditional site of King Philip's Stockade. In 1973, Toto was moved to his current location at STCC.
Building 16 was used primarily as the Armory's administration building, although it also served for storage, research, and light manufacturing functions. Two bronze plaques flank the main entrance; one commemorates George Washington as the founder of the Armory and shows the site's status as a National Historic Landmark; the other marks this as a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.
Three two-story buildings, erected on this site between 1817 and 1824 were connected and unified by a third floor during the Civil War, and the top two floors still show the slight discrepancy in height. The tower was added to balance the tower of the Main Arsenal at the opposite end of the Green.
Garvey Hall is used as the college's administration building, and also houses the President's Office, Admissions, Bilingual Services, Financial Aid, radio station WTCC, the Business Office, Dean of Students, Health Services, and the University Without Walls, among other offices.
TEXT: Moving to the south side of the Green, we pass Garvey Hall South, formerly the East Arsenal, which was constructed in 1836. This building now houses the STCC Division of Continuing Education, Registrar's Office, Cashier, and the Pioneer Valley AHEC.
TEXT: The two-floor portion of Building 11, which dates back to 1808, is the oldest surviving Armory structure; the third floor was added in 1863. Known as the West Arsenal, the building was later used as a barrel house, storehouse, and recreation building, as well as an enlisted men's barracks. During World War II, it became an officers' club.
TEXT: The next building, 14, houses the Graphic Arts Technology Department at STCC. Constructed in 1830, this was the first three-story building on the Armory grounds, and was known as the Middle Arsenal. The building was needed for storage after the fire of 1824, and was capable of holding over a quarter of a million guns in several hundred massive weapons racks. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, touring the area on his honeymoon, compared the polished rifle barrels to organ pipes in his famous poem "The Arsenal at Springfield." In one stanza he looks forward to education rather than armaments:
Were half the power that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth, bestow'd on camps and courts
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need of arsenals nor forts.
TEXT: Building 5/6 is the sole example of Second Empire style in the Armory complex. This duplex was built in 1870 as a junior officers' quarters.
TEXT: Another achievement of Major Ripley's was the distinctive fence surrounding the site. Unable to obtain funding for the purchase of a fence, Ripley requested obsolete cannon, some from the Revolutionary War, from government storage. He had the cannon sent to a local foundry to be melted down. The foundry kept some of the iron as payment; the remainder was cast into 9-foot palings, formed as pikes and spearheads, which were then sunk into a red sandstone base.
TEXT: On the north side of the Green is the seven-floor Anthony M. Scibelli Hall. Dedicated in 1988 in honor of the Dean of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, who was one of the founders of the College, the building houses the STCC administrative and student computer centers, Biological Sciences, the Business Division, Telecommunications Technology, a gymnasium, theater, greenhouse, and a conference center.
TEXT: Building 7, now the administrative office for the STCC campus security force, was built in 1833 as an officer's quarters, and moved to its present location in the late 19th century.
TEXT: These buildings were constructed in 1836 as officers' quarters and moved to their present location in the late 19th century. Quarters 8 now houses the STCC Student Activities Center, and Quarters 9 is the home of the Make a Wish Foundation of Western Massachusetts, established by the STCC Marketing Club in 1987.
TEXT: Building 12, constructed as a guard house and prison in 1880, was refurbished at a later period for use as a honeymoon cottage assigned to newlywed officers. The building is now used as a pottery studio.
TEXT: Building 13 was completed in 1973. It currently houses the departments of Developmental English, Early Childhood Education, English, Music, English as a Second Language, and the Media Production Center.
The building is located on the former site of Quarters 4, an officer's quarters which had five bedrooms, three and a half baths, and the post swimming pool in the back yard.
TEXT: Building 17 was dedicated in 1974 in honor of former Springfield mayor Roger Lowell Putnam. It houses the departments of Chemistry, Civil Engineering Tech., Computer Maintenance Tech., Computer Science Transfer, Economics, Electronic Tech., Engineering & Science Transfer, Environmental Tech., History, Landscape/Plant Science Tech., Laser Electro-Optics Tech., Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts Transfer, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and Sociology/Anthropology as well as the CIM Center, Individualized Learning Center, and student newspaper.
The original Building 17, the Paymaster's house, was moved to this site around 1880, and later became the Armory fire station. At one time, a steam boiler was used to pump water; because of the fire in the boiler, the fire station itself caught fire more than once. Also on the site of the current Buildings 13 and 17 were Quarters 2 and 3, built as officers' quarters.
TEXT: Construction of Building 20 was begun in 1941 as a three-floor field service building for manufacturing and storage. The top two floors were added by STCC, and the building now houses the following departments: Bio-Medical Instrumentation Tech., Cosmetology, Dental Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Electrical/Robotics Tech., Human Services Associate, Medical Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technician, Nuclear Medicine Tech., Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiation Therapy Tech., Radiography, Respiratory Care, Surgical Tech., plus the Armory Square Day Care Center, cafeteria, Health Careers Community, and the Women's Center.
TEXT: Constructed in 1869 as an annex, Building 27 is now the location of the STCC Library, the Fine Arts Gallery, bookstore, Counseling Center, General Studies, and Cooperative Education/Career Placement, as well as the receiving and maintenance areas. Nearly half of the original building was demolished to make way for construction of Building 17.
This completes our tour of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
If you have any questions about Springfield Technical Community College, contact the Admissions Office in Garvey Hall at 413-781-7822, extension 3855. Further information on the Springfield Armory is available at the Armory Museum, 413-734-8551.
Springfield Armory — 200 years — 1794–1994
For more information, you can contact the Springfield Armory National Historic Site via email at: spar_interpretation@nps.gov, via phone at: 413-734-8551, or via the park website at: www.nps.gov/spar.