Show & Tell Guns, July 17, 2003
About 50 local residents attended the Old Guns Show & Tell event which Nick Niles of Westport and Jim Nelson of Wrentham put on on Thursday, July 17, 2003 under the auspices of the Westport Historical Society at the Bell Schoolhouse at Head of Westport. They heard about the important role played by firearms in our history from the founding of the Plymouth Colony, of which Westport was a part, to the present time. From John Smith's 1629 accounts of adventureswith the Indians, through the development of local foundries based on bog iron (the ore being derived from what are today cranberry bogs) to arms making in the American Revolution and on to the great American Industrial Revolution yielding the important advances in precision measurement, machine building and factory management which led up to the textile mills and gun making factories of the Blackstone and Connecticut River Valleys which brought freedom and prosperity first to New England and then to the whole US. Nick and Jim also discussed gun safety, the second amendment to the Constitution of the US, which gives to law abiding individual citizens the right to possess fire arms, and they outlined some current rules regulating ownership and use of guns in Massachusetts.
Those who had brought guns to show were then invited to tell the audience a little bit about them. This led to much interesting discussion of how these arms came down through the years in some of our local families as well as the discovery of several very rare and important pieces. Last year a museum quality, engraved, single shot, hand gun made in New Haven, was the star of the evening. This year it was a fabulous double by Tonks, one of Boston's finest gun makers. The 1850 era, muzzle loading, percussion, shotgun was furnished with silver butt plate and trigger guard, was beautifully engraved and, having been stored all these years in its fitted wood case, retained most of its original finish. Of the 15 or so guns brought in and discussed all were of interest and, being different, each gave Nick and Jim a chance to talk about many of the various types and makes which constitute the history of the gun in our country. They were able to shed some light on activities of local gun makers such as N. R. Davis & Sons of Assonet (Jim Nelson is the acknowledged expert on Davis guns and had muzzle loading, pin fire, and center fire specimens from his collection to show us), the Providence Tool Co. of Providence (owned by Fall River and Westport families, the Bordens and the Anthonys) and Jenks of Pawtucket (of which maker a very good 1813 flintlock US Contract musket was exhibited), among others. Some very interesting hunting shotguns and rifles, typical of those owned and used by local people over the years, Winchesters, Marlins, Belgian imports and so on, were also viewed, identified and discussed in detail.
From all accounts the meeting was informative and fun. The relaxed question and answer format made for a very easy exchange of ideas and pertinent facts. A lot of history was learned by all, including the experts. Nick Niles
Posted by Bill Wyatt at September 3, 2003 09:47 AM