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PROJECT PROFILE:
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American Precision Museum, Windsor
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In historic Windsor, the American Precision Museum
is the birthplace of precision engineering in America.
Bob Eddy photo
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The American Precision Museum in Windsor is a treasure trove of manufacturing history. Some say it was in this 1840s-vintage brick building that the American industrial revolution was born. Few Vermonters know this remarkable story. Now, thanks to the devotion of the nonprofit board that runs the Precision Museum, coupled with a 2005 historic rehabilitation grant from VHCB, a federal Save America’s Treasures partnership, and other sources, the museum building—which had been in poor repair— is being saved for new generations to explore.
Here in the late 1840s designers created a set of finely engineered machine tools that turned out military rifles made of interchange-able parts. The technique was brand new to the world, and it changed manufacturing from a craft into an industry. Where previously each part of a machine was tooled to fit only one individual final product, now parts could be mass produced and assembled into thousands of identical models. This industry thrived in Windsor and Springfield through the mid 1900s, even playing an important role in Allied success in World War II.
Most of Vermont’s machine tool industry has vanished today, but with the Windsor building restored, the museum hopes to keep the history alive. Phase I of rehabilitation installed a new slate roof and renovated 70 of 166 historic window frames. Phase II targets the remaining windows, structural elements, masonry, and safety improvements.
- adapted by Ethan Parke from an article written by Doug Wilhelm
A family enjoys a visit to the museum, where early
machine tool industry machines and products are on display.
Bob Eddy photo
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