Historical Marker

Springfield Armory - Light Standards

Springfield · Hampden County

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

The Story

A contributing property in the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. A National Historic Landmark comprising Armory Square, the fifty-four-acre hilltop administrative core of the Springfield Armory, the federal arsenal formally established in 1794. Arranged around an 8.75-acre parade ground, the complex holds nearly thirty brick buildings, mostly in a restrained functional idiom with Greek Revival and Federal detailing, ranging in date from the 1807 West Arsenal through World War II, unified by consistent scale, white trim, slate roofs, and a mid-19th-century iron fence. The Armory served the American Revolution as a supply depot, was the target of Shays' Rebellion in 1787, pioneered the interchangeability of parts, and for decades was the nation's principal manufacturer of military small arms. It is significant in military and industrial history and as the best-preserved administrative center of a major arsenal that reached its greatest growth in the first half of the 19th century.

About this site

Springfield Armory - Light Standards is a historical marker in Springfield, Hampden County. It is one of 129 historical markers documented in Hampden County, among 3,815 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.

The site sits at 42.1076, -72.5828 near Springfield. The nearest cataloged historic site is Springfield Arsenal - Commandant's House (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Springfield Armory - Flagstone Walkway, Springfield Armory - Commanding Officer's Garage, and Springfield Armory - Circular Driveways.

This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

The Springfield Armory, established in 1777, was the primary center of United States military firearms manufacture for nearly two centuries, producing muskets and later iconic rifles such as the Springfield Model 1903 and the M1 Garand. It closed in 1968, and its grounds are now the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Ornamental light standards are among the surviving historic features of the former arsenal grounds.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

📍 42.1076, -72.5828 · Springfield, Hampden County
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