Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Statue of the Buddha in the main temple
Gadaladeniya Viharaya
McClellan Falls
McClellan Falls
Kraken Habitat
Skye Textile Mill
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Caru' cu Bere
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Aerial view of Pulau Tiga
The Original ‘Survivor’ Island Changed Television Forever
about 7 hours ago
Obscura Day Summer 2025: Roaming among Assateague's feral island ponies
about 10 hours ago
The main reading room of the Athenaeum.
Obscura Day Summer 2025: Literary Landmarks Across Providence
about 10 hours ago
The Campus Theatre in downtown Lewisburg.
Obscura Day Summer 2025: An Art Deco Theater in Pennsylvania
about 10 hours ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Vermont Windsor American Precision Museum

American Precision Museum

This historic folk museum celebrates the attention to detail that makes America great.

Windsor, Vermont

Added By
Ben Hyde
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
American Precision Museum   Rich Kaszeta on Flickr
American Precision Museum   Rich Kaszeta on Flickr
American Precision Museum   liz west on Flickr
American Precision Museum   Ben Miller on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Held in a simple yet historic building in a bucolic Vermont town the American Precision Museum, a collection of machining tools and the under appreciated history of the United States' devotion to quality through detail.

The American Precision Museum is housed in a building that has stood since 1846 and holds special significance for the collection itself. The building once housed a gun factory and machine tool owned by Richard Lawrence and Samuel Robbins, the two men who were pioneers in the development of repeatable parts, which laid the foundation for the entire machine tool industry.

Their firearms workshop was one of the first to use custom metal lathing machines to create parts so precise that they could be interchangeable, a major advance in not only weaponry but also manufacturing in general. Before too long, machine tools that created the precise custom parts for all manner of machinery were standard kit across the entire country, helping earn America itself a reputation for sturdy, detailed craftsmanship.  

Today, the museum housed in the former shop is a celebration of this proud legacy. Countless machining tools are on display, as part of the story of major events in US history – the Civil War, the rise of the US as a manufacturing power in the buildup to the World Wars, and the development of today’s consumer culture.

There are also a number of exquisitely created miniatures showing off just how precise things can get. Summer visitors can see demonstrations on historic machines by high school student interns. Future exhibits will make more connections with advanced manufacturing today.  

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Industrial

Community Contributors

Added By

bhyde

Edited By

EricGrundhauser

  • EricGrundhauser

Published

August 1, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Precision_Museum
American Precision Museum
196 Main Street
Windsor, Vermont, 05089
United States
43.474764, -72.389393
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park

Cornish, New Hampshire

miles away

Indian Stones

Reading, Vermont

miles away

Woodstock Town Crier

Woodstock, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 16

Nearby Places

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park

Cornish, New Hampshire

miles away

Indian Stones

Reading, Vermont

miles away

Woodstock Town Crier

Woodstock, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 16

Related Places

  • A bust of Xavier Jouvin and his invention, the “iron hand.”

    Grenoble, France

    Musée de la Ganterie (Museum of Glove-Making)

    The cellar of a former factory is now home to a collection of gloves, machines, and tools of the trade.

  • The American Museum of Cutlery.

    Cattaraugus, New York

    American Museum of Cutlery

    This edgy museum will whet your appetite for the industrial history of Western New York.

  • Steam engines.

    Meridian, Mississippi

    Soulé Steam Feed Works

    The last intact steam engine factory in the United States.

  • The museum.

    Fakenham, England

    Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History

    The last gas works in England and Wales details how people once extracted the resource from coal.

  • Endicott, New York

    Endicott History and Heritage Center

    A collection of artifacts from two worldwide industries that called Endicott, NY home.

  • Villa Rosario.

    Banyeres de Mariola, Spain

    Valencian Paper Museum

    A lovely look back at the manufacture and use of paper in all its forms.

  • In the toy museum.

    Ibi, Spain

    Old Payá Toy Factory

    Ibi's pioneering toy factory now houses two small but mighty museums.

  • Guilloché machine from Kosta around 1905.

    Bergdala, Sweden

    Bergdala Glastekniska Museum

    The machines behind the famous handblown glass from Sweden's "Kingdom of Crystal."

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.