Higgins Armory Museum
100 Barber Avenue
Worcester, MA
508-853-6015

John Woodman Higgins was fascinated with metalworking. As a child in the late 1800s, he spent hours watching blacksmiths and factory workers. So it is hardly surprising that when he grew up to be an industrialist, it was in metal (via ownership of the Worcester Pressed Steel Company) that he made his fortune.

His interest in arms and armor was a natural outgrowth of his passion for metalworking. Instead of collecting paintings and sculpture like Henry Clay Frick or old master drawings like Pierpont Morgan (both relative contemporaries), he spent years amassing an almost unrivaled collection of historical and modern metal artifacts.

After his death, the Higgins Armory Museum evolved from a private collection into a world-renowned museum. In fact, it is the only museum in the Western Hemisphere solely dedicated to arms and armor, and has probably the best collection (except for, perhaps, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City which combined the extensive collections of three avid armor fans). The European portion of the collection consists of 3,000 armors and components, 1,000 weapons and accessories, 500 swords and daggers; 100 firearms; a tapestry, stained glass, paintings, and wood carvings. In addition, the non-Western collection comprises 1,000 African, Islamic, Indian, and Japanese body defenses and arms. Artifacts ranging from Corinthian helmets of ancient Greece to ornate suits of armor from the height of the Renaissance give visitors an exciting glimpse into the past, while the museum's many informative and entertaining programs help to interpret the collection in a broad cultural context.

If you bring children with you (and this museum is a wonderful place to bring any child with an interest in knights!), don't miss the dress up area, where children (of all ages) can try on knights' helmets and other items. There is also a life-size chess set to play with.

The four-story art deco museum building was one of the first all steel (of course! there is that fascination with metal again) and glass curtain-wall structures built in America. Inside, the vaulted Medieval Great Hall provides the perfect backdrop for the exhibitions.

To learn more about the Higgins Armory Museum, including hours, admission fees, and special events, visit the museum's web site.

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