Revolutionary War Gun Factory
Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
During the British occupation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's provisional government moved west and its official gun factory was established at Hummelstown. Secretly operating near here from 1777 to 1779, it mass-produced muskets and rifles for the Continental Army.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When British troops seized Philadelphia in 1777, Pennsylvania's revolutionary government fled westward and needed weapons for the fight. Near Hummelstown it set up its official state gun factory, working in secret from 1777 to 1779 to turn out muskets and rifles for the Continental Army. In an age when a single skilled gunsmith might finish only a few arms a month, the concentrated production here was a small but vital arsenal for a cause perpetually short of firepower.
Why it matters
It captures how the Revolution was won not only on the battlefield but in hidden workshops that armed a ragged army, and it marks an early American venture into government-run mass production.
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Nearby & related markers
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