Wednesday Oct 10, 2018
Map and road video – Springfield, MA to Pompton Plains, NJ
I started the day by visiting the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, MA.
President George Washington established two national armories in 1794, one in Springfield to supply the northern states and the other in Harpers Ferry for the southern states. The civil war sealed the fate of the armory at Harpers Ferry but the armory in Springfield would continue to design, manufacture and test firearms until 1968. This proved to be a far more interesting visit than I was expecting as the site focuses on the advancement of firearm technology and methods of mass production that were proposed, tested and produced at the site. In many ways the armory was a lab, an engineering workshop and an arms factory that attracted the brightest and most skilled craftsmen of the time and helped fuel the industrial revolution in America. The exhibits demonstrate the innovations extremely well.
After leaving the armory I headed south to New Jersey and the rest of the day was mainly driving. However, since my route involved crossing the Hudson River on the brand new Governor Mario M, Cuomo Bridge, I decided to stop at the waterfront in Tarrytown, NY which offers great views of the river and bridge. The new bridge replaced the Tappan Zee bridge which was a cantilever structure that opened in 1955. Although one span opened in 2017, the new bridge only became fully operational last month and, as you can see in the road video, it is still an active construction project. Tarrytown offered a perfect break from driving with great views from a wide riverfront trail.
After the relaxing break I continued to Pompton Plains, NJ (not too far from Newark) for the night.
As I was entering the Springfield Armory I couldn’t help but notice this spectacular tree.
When the armory first opened in 1794 it took a skilled craftsman 10 hours to forge the metal parts and custom fit a wooden stock to make a musket. Each weapon was unique and parts were not interchangeable. This original 1832 lathe, invented here, was the first that could follow a template, much as a key cutting machine does today, and create consistent parts.
This impressive display of rifles shows how armory firearms were stored.
The new Cuomo bridge has 4 lanes on each of its two spans and is 3 miles long. The 1955 Tappan Zee bridge, behind it, is being demolished.
The waterfront at Tarrytown. The wide trail running along the river was being enjoyed by many this afternoon.
The Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse is just north of Tarrytown.