Armory Fence

Armory Fence (HM18RL)

Location: Springfield, MA 01105 Hampden County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 6.383', W 72° 34.85'

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Inscription

Springfield Armory National Historic Site

James W. Ripley, who had such a lasting influence on the Armory's development, was also responsible for the east-iron fence which extends well over a mile around Armory Square. Partly decorative, the fence also had a security function, being intended to keep out angry townspeople antagonized by Ripley's policies.

Money was tight, so work on the fence proceeded slowly; begun in 1852, it was not completed until 1861. Ripley reduced some of the cost by using recycled iron from obsolete cannons. Today, the fence defines the boundary of the National Historic Site.

Originally, the main gate to the armory was on State Street, directly ahead. When the grade of State Street was lowered in the 1870s to accommodate horse-drawn cars, the entrance was transferred to the corner of State and Byers Streets. The octagonal guard house shown in the picture was built around 1875 and replaced by the present structure in 1908.
Details
HM NumberHM18RL
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at 2:31am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 700021 N 4664420
Decimal Degrees42.10638333, -72.58083333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 6.383', W 72° 34.85'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 6' 22.98" N, 72° 34' 51.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)413
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 339 State St, Springfield MA 01105, US
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