Edwin A. Battison

Born in Windsor, Vermont, in 1915, Edwin A. Battison grew up around local machine shops and developed an early fascination with mechanics. After high school he worked in Vermont industry, including at Cone Automatic Machine Company and later Fellows Gear Shaper, building the practical knowledge that would shape his writing and curatorial work.

That hands-on expertise led him to the Smithsonian, where he joined the National Museum of History and Technology as a curator of mechanical engineering and remained there until retiring in 1973. He wrote books and articles on subjects including clocks, watches, and manufacturing history, with works such as The American Clock, 1725–1865, Muskets to Mass Production, and The Auburndale Watch Company.

Battison is especially remembered as the founder and first director of the American Precision Museum in Windsor, Vermont. In the 1960s he acquired the historic Robbins and Lawrence Armory building to house his remarkable collection of early machine tools, helping preserve an important chapter of industrial history for future readers, researchers, and visitors.