I made a new powder horn to go with my Brown Bess flintlock. (The Brown Bess was the standard issue musket for British troops and also widely used by Continental forces during the Revolutionary War. ) It is a tribute to a bit of local history, detailed below and in the captions. All the shaping and finishing was done by hand. The scrim work was done with knives and ink.
A little background for those who don't know: Fishkill, NY, was home to the Fishkill Supply Depot. Established in 1776 after the Continental Army evacuated NYC, it was THE storehouse and depot for the Army for the duration of the Revolution. Fishkill lay at the crossroads of the Albany Post Road (today's US 9) and a major inland route of communication between New England and those colonies south of NY. Just a few miles from the Husdon River, protected by a 1500 foot high ridge to the west and Wiccopee Pass to the south, the flats just south of the village would be transformed into a military hub of storehouses, barracks, and hospitals. The Continental Congress met briefly in the Episcopal and Dutch churches before moving on to Kingston. The Marques de Lafayette spent tine recuperating at the Brinkerhoff home, which also hosted visits from George Washington. John Jay also resided nearby. Numerous mills served the area, and the Van Wyck home served as HQ for Washington and the Depot.
Today, much of the Depot has been developed, with more being threatened. The Episcopal and Dutch churches still stand, as does the Brinkerhoff home. The Van Wyck house was spared demolition when I-84 was built and is today home to the Fishkill Historical Society. Sadly, the John Jay house was demolished when IBM built a manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s.
It was customary for soldiers to personalize their horns. They were collected, refilled, and returned, so it was necessary to identify them in some form. It was also common to mark them with where they served, with rhymes, patriotic phrases, maps, or other artwork. My horn does not follow any particular one but takes inspiration from surviving examples. Having grown up in East Fishkill, which was part of Fishkill until the mid 1800s, honoring local history in this manner just seemed appropriate. (There is also a little Masonic symbolism, as some horns from Freemasons are known to have.)
For more history, google Fishkill Supply Depot.
The following images show the map. The Hudson River lies west (left) of the ridge, but is not depicted here. (Mount Beacon is a formidable landmark, visible from bluffs for over 30 miles up the Hudson Valley. Signal fires were lit on its peak during the War.) The Dutch and Episcopal Churches are depicted on the left and right respectively at the crossroads where they still stand today. The Van Wyck house is just south of the village and across from the Depot, while the Brinkerhoff house is shown where it stands at the junction of Rtes 52 & 82 several miles east. The John Jay home was just a couple miles further up Rte 52. The Depot itself is represented by the rectangles along the Albany Post Road (now US 9). The southern end of the Depot had barracks and a couple batteries guarding Wiccopee Pass.
Brothers will recognize the symbolism here. I placed it here out of convenience, but it seems appropriate to have Providence watching over the region.
A little background for those who don't know: Fishkill, NY, was home to the Fishkill Supply Depot. Established in 1776 after the Continental Army evacuated NYC, it was THE storehouse and depot for the Army for the duration of the Revolution. Fishkill lay at the crossroads of the Albany Post Road (today's US 9) and a major inland route of communication between New England and those colonies south of NY. Just a few miles from the Husdon River, protected by a 1500 foot high ridge to the west and Wiccopee Pass to the south, the flats just south of the village would be transformed into a military hub of storehouses, barracks, and hospitals. The Continental Congress met briefly in the Episcopal and Dutch churches before moving on to Kingston. The Marques de Lafayette spent tine recuperating at the Brinkerhoff home, which also hosted visits from George Washington. John Jay also resided nearby. Numerous mills served the area, and the Van Wyck home served as HQ for Washington and the Depot.
Today, much of the Depot has been developed, with more being threatened. The Episcopal and Dutch churches still stand, as does the Brinkerhoff home. The Van Wyck house was spared demolition when I-84 was built and is today home to the Fishkill Historical Society. Sadly, the John Jay house was demolished when IBM built a manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s.
It was customary for soldiers to personalize their horns. They were collected, refilled, and returned, so it was necessary to identify them in some form. It was also common to mark them with where they served, with rhymes, patriotic phrases, maps, or other artwork. My horn does not follow any particular one but takes inspiration from surviving examples. Having grown up in East Fishkill, which was part of Fishkill until the mid 1800s, honoring local history in this manner just seemed appropriate. (There is also a little Masonic symbolism, as some horns from Freemasons are known to have.)
For more history, google Fishkill Supply Depot.
The following images show the map. The Hudson River lies west (left) of the ridge, but is not depicted here. (Mount Beacon is a formidable landmark, visible from bluffs for over 30 miles up the Hudson Valley. Signal fires were lit on its peak during the War.) The Dutch and Episcopal Churches are depicted on the left and right respectively at the crossroads where they still stand today. The Van Wyck house is just south of the village and across from the Depot, while the Brinkerhoff house is shown where it stands at the junction of Rtes 52 & 82 several miles east. The John Jay home was just a couple miles further up Rte 52. The Depot itself is represented by the rectangles along the Albany Post Road (now US 9). The southern end of the Depot had barracks and a couple batteries guarding Wiccopee Pass.
Brothers will recognize the symbolism here. I placed it here out of convenience, but it seems appropriate to have Providence watching over the region.
(Did autocorrect change "Hiram" to Brian? )
