- Higgins Armory Museum
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name = Higgins Armory Museum
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caption = Higgins Armory Museum
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location =100 Barber Ave.Worcester, Massachusetts
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added =March 5 ,1980
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refnum = 80000514
mpsub = Worcester MRA
governing_body =Higgins Armory Museum, located in
Worcester, Massachusetts , is a "national treasure," [ [http://www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/cfp/2002/higgins_armory_687.htm cfp-ma.org: Higgins Armory Museum - Catalogue for Philanthropy: MASSACHUSETTS ] ] apublic ,non-profit museum specializing in the history of arms andarmor .John Woodman Higgins built a unique steel and glass structure to house his collection of armor, one of the largest such collections in the world. Currently, the museum features thousands of pieces from the ancient military traditions ofWestern Europe ,Ancient Rome , Feudal Japan, and beyond. One of the largest arms and armor collections in the world with over 80 suits of armor spanning theMedieval to renaissance and early modern periods.The Museum features important Classical world collections including one of three
gladiator helmets in the hemisphere, bronzeHomeric swords,and awar hammer from the Medieval period. In the dramatically arranged halls of armor, full suits ofJapan eseSamurai armor stand in splendid contrast with parade armor from theRenaissance . A magnificent early Renaissance/late MedievalSpetum is one of the prides of the collection, which also features afirearm commissioned byCatherine the Great of Russia for her grandsonGrand Duke (laterTsar )Alexander I of Russia . Many visitors, however, are especially drawn to the small suits of armor worn by very young princes, the armored dog, and the armored horses displayed on full-scale models.Higgins Armory is the largest collection of Medieval Arms and Armor outside of Europe
History
The Museum was founded by John Woodman Higgins in 1927. The building was purpose-built in the
Art Deco -style, and is the first free standing glass and steel frame structure of its type to be built in theUnited States . The Museum has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since the 1970s.By 1980, the museum was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places , under the management of a public Governing Board. By 1994, the Board, with the help of two multi-million-dollar fund-raising campaigns, modernized the facility in addingaccessibility to the disabled, a newclimate control systems, new exhibits, and neweducational facilities.External links
* [http://www.higgins.org/ Higgins Armory Museum website]
* [http://www.higginssword.org/ Higgins Armory Sword Guild website]
* [http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_higgins.html Three Swords from the Higgins Armory Museum] (myArmoury.com article)
* [http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_higgins_vik.html A Sword from the Late Viking Age from the Higgins Museum] (myArmoury.com article)
* [http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_higgins_pole.html A Poleaxe from the Higgins Armory Museum] (myArmoury.com article)ources
The John Woodman Higgins Armory (Higgins Armory Museum), John H. Beeler, Military Affairs, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct., 1985), pp. 198-202
References
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