|
|
Article: Springfield Armory
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
The southwestern Massachusetts town of Spring-field, on the Connecticut River, first became an important weapons center during the American Revolution (1775
–
83) when a sizeable arsenal was built there in 1777. The town was considered to be ideally situated
—
close to two major overland routes and on a strategic waterway, but far enough inland from the Atlantic Ocean to be defensible. Springfield had been the site of a militia training field since the 1600s; during the war, the Continental Army added barracks and storehouses, which held muskets, cannons, and other weapons. The new republic continued to keep arms at the site after the war was over. In 1794 a ...