American Precision Museum hosts first annual ‘Windsor Day’

By Jordan J. Phelan
[email protected]
WINDSOR, Vt. — The American Precision Museum held its first annual “Windsor Day” on Saturday, Aug. 24, to honor the town’s residents and deepen understanding of the community’s manufacturing heritage.

The event featured activities for all ages, including rocket launching, interactive electronic and mechanical assembly areas, an introduction to Tinkercad 3D design basics, robotics lessons and friendly competitions with Sphero robots. Materials from Historic Windsor Inc., modern milling machine exhibits and machine tool demonstrations provided insight into Windsor’s pivotal role in the “precision valley” and its significant contribution to our daily lives.

The American Precision Museum’s 2020 calendar will be full of exciting events. In addition to the return of Windsor Day in August, the museum will also host summer camps, speakers and new exhibits.

Also coming up next year 2020, 35 of Vermont’s cultural institutions — led by the Vermont Curators Group — will collaborate on a state-wide suite of exhibitions on the theme “2020 Vision: Seeing the World Through Technology.” The American Precision Museum will be participating, as well as presenting a new exhibit about the science of measurement.

Precision in manufacturing is impossible without good measurement. This exhibition offers a fun and hands-on exploration of different quality inspection methods from the 1800s to today. During this exhibit, visitors will see how technology changes how we view the finest details — down to the micron, or smaller.

“We have machines now to measure time, speed, hardness, power, distance and weight,” American Precision Museum Executive Director Steve Dalessio said. “And they have evolved from hand-tools to lasers, and gears to computers.”

The American Precision Museum is located in the 1846 Robbins & Lawrence Armory, a National Historic Landmark, and traces the beginnings of manufacturing to modern technology through exhibits and interactive programs.

The museum will officially open for the season on May 1, 2020, but visitors may make appointments in the off-season. The American Precision Museum is proud to be a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military & their families.