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Date: 1/11/2023
SPRINGFIELD – The Friends of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site are in the process of completing Phase II of the restoration of the four historic tower clocks in the Main Arsenal building.
President Neil Daboul stated, “We want to preserve the great history of the Springfield Armory by sharing the story about invention, interchangeable parts and how we, as an institution, put great ideas into action to produce the finest firearms for the U.S. military.”
The Main Arsenal building served as the warehouse for the nation’s first federal armory from its construction in the 1850s until 1968 when the federal armory closed. The building now serves as a National Park Museum containing the largest collection of military firearms and industrial tools in the world. The museum is free and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Friends of the Armory is the partner organization that supports the National Park Service at the Springfield National Historic Site. Their mission is to support National Park Service programs at the Springfield Armory through public outreach and engagement. The board of directors have worked for several years to raise funds needed for the clock project and recently elected the 2023-2024 slate of officers and committees, they are President Neil Daboul, Vice President Brian Cosgrove, Treasurer Robert Bartlett, members Robert Ford, Fred Batchelder, Peter DeRose and Andrew Stolinski.
Phase I, in 2015, upgraded the clock movement into an electronic system but retained the original drive system to the dials. Phase II replaces the drive system, now beyond repair, with a drive motor for each clock face. Daboul told Reminder Publishing behind each dial is a simple drive gear. The work will replace the drive gear with a drive motor which will in turn, move the hands. The drive motors are operated by a signal from the clock installed during Phase I. The original mechanical clock will become archived in the museum collection while the original bell, cast in 1848 by Menleeys of Troy, NT, will remain in service.
Right now, the Friends have purchased all the new parts and are waiting for a weather window to open up to get the installation done. The restoration will be completed by the spring of 2023.
“We want the public to know that this building and the grounds is the only National Park in Western Massachusetts and is free to the public,” Daboul said. “People from all over can visit the Armory to gain awareness of what the Springfield Armory has done through history and the role the Armory now has in preserving that history from the clock, to the iron fence surrounding the college, to the campus to the stories we preserve about the people.”
For more information about the clock restoration, to make a donation for this historic effort or become a member of the Friends of Springfield Armory National Historic Site, email info@friendsofthearmory.org or visit their website at www.friendsofthearmory.org.