American Precision Museum facts for kids
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Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop
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The American Precision Museum
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | S. Main St., Windsor, Vermont |
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| Area | 1.75 acres (0.71 ha) |
| Built | 1846 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000796 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 13, 1966 |
The American Precision Museum is a cool place to visit in Windsor, Vermont. It's located in an old factory building from 1846. This factory, once called Robbins & Lawrence, is famous for being the first in the U.S. to make super accurate, interchangeable parts. This was a huge step forward for making machines!
Because of its important history, the building was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Later, in 1987, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers called it an International Heritage Site. This means it's a really special place where important things happened in American industry. It also helps us understand how manufacturing changed over time.
So, what's a "machine tool"? It's a machine that makes parts for other machines. Think of things like screws or parts for guns. Before, skilled workers did all the detailed work by hand. But with machine tools, a machine operator could control the machine to do the precise work.
The museum has the biggest collection of important machine tools in the United States. You can see machines from the first 100 years of precision manufacturing. They also have cool examples of early products made by machines, like rifles, sewing machines, and typewriters. Old photos and records at the museum help tell the story of this important time in the Industrial Revolution.
You can visit the museum daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, from May 1st through October.
Contents
The Story of the Museum Building
How the Robbins and Lawrence Armory Started
In 1838, a very smart mechanic named Richard S. Lawrence came to Windsor. He was only 21 and started making guns. He teamed up with Nicanor Kendall, who also had a gun shop.
Four years later, a businessman named Samuel E. Robbins joined them. In 1846, these three men made a big decision. They decided to try and win a government contract to make 10,000 rifles!
They won the contract and built a four-story brick factory next to Mill Brook. For the next eight years, they worked hard. They built the factory, created new machines, and improved old ones. They also brought in skilled workers. They became experts at making interchangeable parts.
Later, Lawrence bought out Kendall. Soon, they were selling not just rifles but also their new metal-cutting machines. They sent them all over North America, to England, and even further! The amazing technology they used for making guns was quickly used to make everyday products and parts for many other machines too.
What the Armory Building Looked Like
The factory building is tall and impressive, with four stories. It sits on a strong stone foundation right next to a brook. This brook provided water power for the machines inside.
Inside, power was sent to each floor using long shafts. These shafts were connected to individual machines with leather belts. The building had lots of windows and was narrow but long (40 feet by 100 feet). This design let in plenty of daylight for the workers.
Outside the factory, you can still see some of the houses where the workers lived. The nearby Connecticut River and the active railroad show how important transportation was for this factory to grow.
What Happened to the Armory Building: 1866–1964
After Robbins & Lawrence, the building was used as a cotton mill starting in 1866. This lasted for almost 20 years. Then, in 1888, it went back to making machine tools.
Ten years later, the property was sold to the Windsor Electric Light Company. In 1926, it was sold again to the Central Vermont Public Service Company.
The Museum Opens: 1966 - Today
In 1964, the Central Vermont Public Service Company thought about tearing the building down. But Edwin A. Battison, a curator from the Smithsonian and a Windsor resident, had a different idea. He had been storing items in the building since the 1950s. He decided to create a museum there!
Battison, who was from Windsor, founded the American Precision Museum in 1966. He was its director until 1991. As a curator of Mechanical Engineering at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution, he made sure the Robbins & Lawrence Armory became home to his collection. This collection included historic machine tools, books, and old records he had gathered over his life.
The armory building is special because it still looks much like a 19th-century factory. It shows how factories were built and operated back then. In 2001, it was named a special project of Save America’s Treasures. In 2003, the museum even received $200,000 to put on a new slate roof, replacing the old one.
The Amazing Impact of Robbins & Lawrence
Early Manufacturing and the “American System”
The first part of the Industrial Revolution came to America in the late 1700s. It was based on how England made textiles (cloth). But in 1846, when the Armory was built, a new phase of the Industrial Revolution was about to begin. This was called the “American System.”
In the small town of Windsor, clever business people and skilled workers had already built dams. These dams powered sawmills and gristmills on Mill Brook. There were 18 buildings and shops in total! In these small workshops, inventors came up with new product designs. They also found ways to make both new and old items much faster.
In Windsor and other towns along the Connecticut River Valley (known as the Precision Valley), new industries brought in more people. This helped create busy downtown areas. Mills, stores, and homes were built close together between the river and the steep hills.
How Robbins & Lawrence Changed Things
Robbins & Lawrence are considered founders of the precision tool industry for two main reasons.
First, in 1851, Robbins and Lawrence went to London. They showed off their rifles at the Great Exhibition in London's Crystal Palace. These rifles were made in Windsor using interchangeable parts. They won a medal and really impressed the British Army! The British Army ordered 25,000 rifles for the Crimean War. They also ordered 141 of Robbins & Lawrence's metal-working machines. This made the company the first to export machine tools on a large scale. This event helped kick off the “American System” for making interchangeable parts. It quickly sped up the growth of the precision tool-making industry.
The second reason is all the people who worked at the factory. Many of them went on to work at or even start other important companies. A person named J.W. Roe created a "Genealogy of the Robbins & Lawrence Shop" which shows how many people from this factory spread out and influenced other businesses.
Because of interchangeable parts, all kinds of machines could be made in huge numbers. This made them cheaper to buy. Soon, factories were making sewing machines, typewriters, bicycles, engines, and cars. Precision machine tools, which make standardized parts, are still key to all the mechanical equipment we use in our modern world.
Windsor, Vermont, and Precision Manufacturing
Windsor, Vermont played a very important role in how precision manufacturing and the machine tool industry grew in America. The Robbins & Lawrence armory was a place where new ideas were born in the mid-1800s. It was a center for the "high-tech" industry of its time.
Military leaders and factory owners traveled to Windsor to learn about the new “American System” of manufacturing. Workers from Windsor were also highly sought after by other new industries. By always making things more efficiently, the machine tool industry helped spread the idea that many Americans could have lots of goods. By the mid-1900s, the machine tool industry was the backbone of America's industrial strength. It helped the United States become a world power.
Past Exhibits
The museum has hosted many interesting exhibits over the years:
- 1995: Maxfield Parrish: Machinist, Artisan, Artist. This exhibit showed items and photos related to the famous artist Maxfield Parrish.
- 1997: Pedal Power: The Bicycle in Industry and Society. This exhibit explored the history of bicycles.
- 1999: Carriage Wheels to Cadillac's: Henry Leland and the Quest for Precision. This exhibit focused on Henry Leland, who was important in the car industry.
- 2004: Building for Invention.
- 2006: The Cutting Edge: Machines that Shaped Our World.
- 2007: Doodles, Drafts, and Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian.
- 2007: Windsor Post-Pastoral: The Changing Landscape of the Birthplace of Vermont.
- 2008-2011: From Muskets to Motorcars: Yankee Ingenuity and the Road to Mass Production.
- 2010: Waterwheel and Millwork Drawings.
- 2011: John Aschauer.
- 2012-2014: The Civil War Sesquicentennial at the American Precision Museum. This exhibit had two parts to mark 150 years since the U.S. Civil War.
- Full Duty: The Civil War Collection of Howard Coffin showed items from a private collection. It explored the daily life of Vermont soldiers during the war.
- Arming the Union: Gunmakers in Windsor, Vermont told the story of a factory called Lamson, Goodnow & Yale. This factory, operating in the old Robbins & Lawrence armory, was very important in making weapons for the Union Army. Most of the 1.5 million rifles made by the North used machinery designed in Windsor.
- 2017: Tribute to Brown and Sharpe.
Current Exhibits
2008 - Present: Working Machine Shop (also called the Innovation Station)
This exhibit lets you see how old machines work. It's a great way to understand precision manufacturing.
2015 - Present: Tool Revolution
This exhibit explores how tools have changed over time and their impact on society.
2016 - Present: Shaping America: Machines and Machinists at Work
This large exhibit (4,000 square feet) focuses on the people who made big changes possible. It shows how the “American System” of manufacturing grew. “Shaping America” is the first big exhibit to look closely at Vermont's industrial history. It explores ideas like innovation, problem-solving, and how precision manufacturing influenced American history and culture. This type of manufacturing helped the American middle class grow. It also set the stage for the consumer culture we have today. This program was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
2017 - Present: Learning Lab
The Learning Lab offers hands-on activities and educational programs. It's a fun way to learn more about the museum's topics.
Images for kids
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Conjectural Belting Diagram (Building Cutaway)
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Isometric View
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1846 -1853 Evolution of Building
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1884-2009 Evolution of Building
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Genealogy of Robbins & Lawrence
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