American Precision Museum

facebook

logoORG

facebook

donate Become a Member e-newsletter sign-up

Currently Closed - Will Reopen May 25, 2019

  • Home
  • About
    • About the Museum
    • Our Mission
    • News
    • Building Restoration
    • Museum Founder
    • Annual Reports
    • Affiliations
    • Board and Staff
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • Newsletters
  • Exhibits
    • Current Exhibits
    • Past Exhibits
    • Machine Tool Hall of Fame
  • Collections
    • Collections Tour
    • Donating an Artifact
    • Collections Online
  • Education
    • Educator's Notes
    • The Learning Lab
    • School Visits
    • Traveling Education Kit
    • Working Machine Shop
    • Manufacturing Week
    • Workforce Development
    • Quests
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Behind the Scenes
    • Model Engineering Show and Maker Space
    • Past Events
  • Museum Shop
  • Visit
    • General Information and Directions
    • Area Attractions
    • Explore Vermont
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Become a Member
    • Corporate Membership Benefits
    • Corporate Spotlight
    • Planned Giving
    • Volunteer

SHAPING AMERICA

  • Email

man at machine sm3Shaping AmericaOur new exhibit, Shaping America, explores how the machinists and tool builders of this region's "Precision Valley" influenced the course of American history, helping drive rapid industrialization, the emergence of the United States as a world power, and the development of our consumer culture. This opening signals the completion of our multi-year exhibit project.  There are associated videos with this exhbit.  Click Here to view those videos, or if you would like to look at the videos from home use this link. 

The Tool Revolution - Section I

Blanchard Lathe Distler 250Gunstock LatheThe Tool Revolution tells the story of innovators in Windsor, Vermont, in the 1840s at the forefront of the push to create interchangeable parts and the American System of Manufacturing.  Collaborating with the foremost machine designers in America, and establishing a center for best practice in the most advanced industry of the day, they changed the world.

Arming the Union - Section II

sm 1861 lockplate smSpecial Model 1861 Rifle-musket Photo: First Light StudiosDuring the Civil War, northern factories produced 1.5 million new rifles, along with tens of thousands of carbines and pistols. How did they do it? How was it possible, in the early 1860s, to rush that many weapons onto the battlefield?

A large part of the answer is found at a factory building in Windsor, Vermont – the Robbins & Lawrence armory that now houses the milling machine smIndex Milling MachineAmerican Precision Museum.

Here, using state-of-the-art machinery, skilled workers labored in round-the-clock shifts, making rifles for the Union Army and producing machinery for the other major gunmakers, including the Springfield Armory, Colt, Remington, Sharps, and the Providence Tool Company.

be special model 1861 rifle musket smSpecial Model 1861 Rifle-musket Photo: First Light Studios

"Arming the Union" includes rifling machines, lathes, iron planers, and milling machines that produced thousands of gun parts—all alike and interchangeable. Civil War rifles and pistols are displayed alongside the machinery used to make them, and alongside photos and biographies of the men who designed and operated the machines. There are activities and demonstrations to help visitors understand how the machinery works, and how the new technology helped win the war.

Consumer Culture and Industrial Might - Section III

APM poster sm2Consumer Culture and Industrial MightIn the years following the Civil War, the tools of armory practice were put to work making consumer goods. As new products emerged, toolmakers improved their own tools and techniques to meet new needs. Machine tools served as the backbone of American industry. They were used in plants that built automobiles, airplanes and a vast selection of consumer products. From the tool revolution of the 1800s to advanced manufacturing today, technical innovation has shaped who we are and how we live.

Sponsored in part by:

neh logo horizontal rgb

 

Current Exhibits

  • SHAPING AMERICA
  • WATERWHEEL AND MILLWORK DRAWINGS
  • HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLECTION
  • INNOVATION STATION

About

  • About the Museum
  • Our Mission
  • News
  • Building Restoration
  • Museum Founder
  • Annual Reports
  • Affiliations
  • Board and Staff
  • Contact Us
  • Employment
  • Newsletters

Exhibits

  • Current Exhibits
  • Past Exhibits
  • Machine Tool Hall of Fame

Collections

  • Collections Tour
  • Donating an Artifact

Education

  • Educator's Notes
  • The Learning Lab
  • School Visits
  • Traveling Education Kit
  • Working Machine Shop
  • Manufacturing Week
  • Workforce Development
  • Quests

Events

  • Upcoming Events
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Model Engineering Show and Maker Space
  • Past Events

Visit

  • General Information and Directions
  • Area Attractions
  • Explore Vermont

Shop

  • Museum Shop

Support

  • Donate
  • Become a Member
  • Corporate Membership Benefits
  • Corporate Spotlight
  • Planned Giving
  • Volunteer
  • Collections Tour
  • Donating an Artifact

American Precision Museum, 196 Main Street, PO Box 679, Windsor, Vermont 05089 | 802.674.5781
Open Memorial Day weekend through – October 31 - 10am – 5pm daily