The Springfield Museums have received a major gift from Smith & Wesson to help support the continued stewardship of the historic firearms collection at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. That collection, one of the most historically significant in the world, includes 1,600 Smith & Wesson firearms covering every era of the company’s existence as well as over 400,000 archival documents dating back to the company’s founding in Springfield in 1852.
The company’s gift of $300,000 will be paid over a 10 year period. To celebrate this transformational donation, the name of the Wood Museum’s permanent exhibit of historic firearms has now been changed to “Smith & Wesson Gallery of Firearms History.” Smith & Wesson’s assistance will help the Museums maintain its vast collection of rare firearms and archival documents in support of a variety of permanent and changing exhibitions in the newly named gallery. Smith & Wesson President and CEO, James Debney, said, “At Smith & Wesson, we are proud of the rich history of firearm manufacturing and innovation rooted in Springfield. This history is being preserved with the carefully and extensively curated exhibits in the Springfield Museums and we are honored to support this effort with artifacts and long-term funding that will allow the Museums to honor this rich history and to preserve it for generations to come.”
“Smith & Wesson has been a great corporate partner over the years, and we’re delighted that they’ve chosen to step forward with such a major donation,” commented Holly Smith-Bové, President of the Springfield Museums.
According to Guy McLain, Director of the Wood Museum, "This recent donation is just the latest in a series of collaborations between Smith & Wesson and the Springfield Museums that goes back more than two decades, and we look forward to many more years of working together to make the newly named gallery a truly outstanding experience for our visitors."