The Images of America Series has a volume titled: "Springfield Armory".

I received a copy yesterday in my Easter basket.

Written by Alex MacKenzie and published by Arcadia Publishing, it sells for $21.99.

The paper back volume does not have much coverage of the Krag era, but, it is an interesting collection of S.A. photographs and graphics.

I am enjoying it.

The Water Shops and Dam would have appeared like this during much of Krag production:

I have never been there (live in CA) but it is on my 'bucket list'.

Like everyone else in the business, I'm sure they are operating on a shoestring budget which probably does not permit having much of the collection on display ay any one time. I also suspect that they have probably devoted a lot of space to "interpreting" the artifacts for the (mostly) uneducated average visitor, with over-the-top graphics, fancy lighting, bright swaths of color, with emphasis on just how PC and mulit-cultural they can possibly be. Yes, I understand that they must do this in order to survive. Sad

I recall the various museums of my youth quite fondly - wonderfully musty dark places, with row upon row upon row of neatly-labelled specimens, with very little distracting chaff in the background. The stuff looked 'old', not all spiffed up.

There is also the security aspect. People are not as civil or well-behaved as they once were. Thugs just didn't go to museums. There are full-auto weapons to be considered, too. However, apparently some of the old scholars were not averse to nipping a thing or two that wasn't nailed down, so not all security is a bad thing.

There used to be a guided tour of the second floor, where a lot of the "good stuff" is stored, but I believe that practice has been discontinued. Probably the only way to really see it all now is to "know somebody" or at least set up a visit in advance.

Sorry for the jumble of thoughts, but I think you get my drift.