Ceremony to mark formal transfer of armoury to park service

Springfield Armory National Historic Site in 2016 (Photo By Kenneth C. Zirkel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Officials in Springfield are marking the transfer of the historic Springfield Armory’s collections with a special ceremony.

The Monday morning event will commemorate the official transfer of the armoury from the U.S. Army to the National Park Service.

Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army Gerald O’Keefe, National Parks Service Superintendent James Woolsey and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno are expected to attend.

The Springfield Armory was founded by George Washington and served as a manufacturing centre for U.

S. military firearms from 1777 to 1968. A museum was established in the armoury in 1866.

The National Park Service has served as stewards of the museum since the armoury was designated a National Historic Site by Congress in 1974. Today it boasts the world’s largest collection of U.S. military small arms.