Smith & Wesson has given $300,000 over a 10-year-period to help support the continued stewardship of the historic firearms collection at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.
Smith & Wesson has given $300,000 over a 10-year-period to help support the continued stewardship of the historic firearms collection at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.
The collection includes 1,600 Smith & Wesson firearms, covering every era of the company’s existence, as well as more than 400,000 archival documents dating back to the company’s founding in Springfield in 1852.
The name of this permanent exhibit is now “Smith & Wesson Gallery of Firearms History,” in tribute to the company's gift to the Springfield Museums.
“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," James Debney, Smith & Wesson president and chief executive officer, said in a release.
Holly Smith-Bové, president of the museums, called the company a "great corporate partner over the years" and the gift a "major donation."