Pennsylvania Flintlock Museums (?)

[stoigo]

Good morning.
I will have some time over the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and would welcome recommendations for any musueums or flintlock workshops in Eastern Pennsylvania that are worth a visit.
Thanks,
Steve

 

[DrTimboone]

Well Valley Forge is nice. I particularly like the fact that the Park Service Museum has an original Christian Oerter rifle on display as well as a Fergusen. :thumbsup:

 

[Bob Riegl]

Try contacting (hint: GOOGLE)either Lancaster County and/or the City of Lancaster PA---I remember an old gun museum nearby the Railroad Museum. This was not just one floor of guns, as I remember it was several floors as my wife had to literally hog tie me to get back into the car and head to the motel. The visitor's centre at the Gettysburg Battlefield has a beautiful collection of rifles, muskets and hand guns of the period as well. There are some eye opening rarities there that would astound the most jaded eye. :hatsoff:

 

[tallbear]

If your talking about the old Eagle Museum in Strassberg it closed several years ago and the collection was auctioned off.
Mitch

 

[Maestro]

Here's another in my own back yard that I have yet to check out:
Jacobsburg Historical Society - PA Longrifle Museum

Note: Open for season May 1, through October 30, 2005
and... To schedule a visit at other times, please call the Boulton Visitors' Center at 610-746-2809 or send email to [email protected]
Give us a report if you do visit any of these! :hatsoff:

 

[George F.]

I think I remember something about Joe Kindig's gun colection was donated to the Lancaster Historical Society. If you have access to "Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle In It's Golden Age" you'll have an idea of just how many he had.
.............George F.

 

[stoigo]

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your responses! If I get to any of these locations I'll provide a report and photos, if possible.
Maestro: That museum sounds like a winner and well worth a visit. Any museum that has an "Apprentice Gunsmith Program" and offers a course like this has got to be seen. I wished I lived close enough to take advantage of this course!!)
Learn to Build a Muzzleloading Rifle from Parts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Master Gunsmiths:

George Dech * Rich Hujsa * Jim Correll

Class Limited to 10 People.

Course Fee = $ 150.00

Must Be A Current J.H.S. Member
( Due to Insurance Considerations ).

The Purpose of the Program is to give the Student Instruction in Basic Gunsmithing Techniques to build a Muzzleloading Longrifle from parts.

( NOT KIT GUNS) They will cover Barrel work, such as Breech Plug fitting & shaping, Tenon & Sight Making & Installation.

Stock work, Inletting Barrel in Stock, Inletting Lock, Making Trigger Plates & Triggers, Installing Trigger Guards, Fitting Butt Plates, Side Plates, Ramrod Pipes, Base Thimbles & Nose Caps.

Instructors Demonstration will comprise most of this course with some Supervised Student Work on Simple Projects with Problem Solving Sessions.

Students Must Provide:

1. A working knowledge of basic wood & metal Tools.

( Students will need to acquire some specialized tools for this program ).

2. A Basic Knowledge of Muzzleloading Rifles.

3. Must Purchase the Parts to Build Their own Rifle.

( Parts can range in Price from $ 500 to $ 800 depending on what you wish to build & how much work you do yourself. )

Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings in the Gun Shop at the Henry Homestead, Jacobsburg Historical Society, Belfast, PA..

They will begin September 14,, 2005 and run for 8 Weekly Sessions through November 2,2005..

Hours will be from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

This Class will be the Prerequisite to the Advanced Class on Finishes, Patchboxs, Inlays, Basic Engraving and Tuning your Rifle Planned for Spring of 2004.

 

[flintriflesmith]

I think I remember something about Joe Kindig's gun colection was donated to the Lancaster Historical Society. If you have access to "Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle In It's Golden Age" you'll have an idea of just how many he had.
.............George F.

The Kindig collection was not donated to LHS. Joe Kindig III has sold some of the collection but he will rarely part with a rifle from his father's book.

 

[Maestro]

By the way, Steve - I almost forgot to mention... it's not a museum, but you might also want to check out Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop - well worth a visit if you're in the area. (Cabela's in Hamburg is only 15 minutes away from Dixon's too.)

 

[Stophel]

There are a few rifles in the York county historical society museum (when I was there several years ago, there were two). There are a few guns in the Lancaster Historical society museum (last year there were I think four, none terribly interesting). The Mercer museum in Bucks county has the famed "Edward Marshall" rifle (I did not go there...the crowds and traffic had gotten to me). There is also the Kauffmann museum at the Hand plantation in Lancaster. This one really ticked me off. There were no opening hours posted anywhere. You had to call and leave a message, and they would call you back and tell you when they were open. The week I was there, they were ONLY open on Sunday. That Sunday, I was at the PA German folk festival in Kutztown, thinking surely nothing else would be open on Sunday. I was peeved. There is supposed to be a good collection there, though. I ain't goin' back to see it, however.

The Valley forge park museum is good, and there is (was) a small private museum next to the grounds of the park that has a nice German musket and a Peter Gonter rifle, though the rifle was not terribly well displayed.

There actually ain't a lot of old flintlock rifles in museums anywhere. You're better off (MUCH better off) going to gunshows where antique gun dealers will be. (plus, you get to pick them up!) The Louisville, Ky "National Gun Day" show (supposedly the largest gun show in the world...I don't doubt it) has a fair number of antique gun dealers there. Sometimes there are some REALLY interesting guns there, sometimes not. I'm too far away for the big Baltimore show, or the Pottstown, PA show, both of which are supposed to be really good.

 

[stoigo]

Gentlemen,
Thanks for the suggestions! Keep 'em coming and I'll have decent roadtrip this season.
Best wishes,
Steve

 

[dlemaster]

Fatdutchman
Is that Peter Gonter gun one of his earlier pieces or a later one? I have one of his later rifles in original flint, 1800 to 1810, and I would like to see more of his work.
He is an interesting gunsmith to study, with his connection to Wolfgang Hachen. He apprenticed with Wolfgang Hachen (or Haga), married Hachen's daughter Catherine, and was the exeutor of his will.

Regards, Dave

 

[Stophel]

The rifle looks about 1780's vintage. Very nice rifle. Typical Lancaster form, daisy-head box, carving, etc. Marked on the top of the barrel in large block letters "P GONTER". I have some photos, they're not all that good. I'll get them up in a while.

 

[Stophel]

Well, Dave, my photobucket is not downloading photos for me... I can email them to you if you wish.

 

[Hota]

Daniel Boone's homestead off of 422 only has one rifle on display in the visitors center among other things but is a nice place to visit, isn't far from valley forge so you may be able to get two trips in one day. The also do Rev war re-enactments and flintlock shooting competitions.

 

[Stophel]

The Daniel Boone homestead in Berks county is a nice large park and is a very nice retreat from an otherwise incredibly crowded area.

 

[onefeather]

i saw martin meylings(i didnt spell his name right) workshop in lancaster county pa and it was awsome.just a little stone building with a horse buggy in it but history just came alive when i was there.it may have been possible the birthplace of the rifle or lewis from lewis and clark may have stopped there on his way to phily from harpers ferry to pick up those rifles.it was awsome to be there i loved it. :grin:

 

[onefeather]

also this was near willow street pa in lancaster county on longrifle rd. :winking:

 

[Stophel]

Martin Meili was (apparently) NOT a gunsmith. There are records of the man, but none state he was a gunsmith. I have FINALLY seen some lousy photos of the gun that is "signed" by him and "dated" 1705. It is a German gun from the 1770's/1780's. It is definitely NOT a 1705 gun. The wood was tested and found to be European walnut.

The tiny little stone building is neat, but I don't know if it really has any connection to Meili or not. I can't see this puny little shed being a real gunshop anyway.

 

[onefeather]

i dont know but it was cool to me :grin: