Name/Title
Long rifle made by Henderson BishopEntry/Object ID
20Description
Long rifle with barrel made by Henderson Bishop in Charles Town circa 1830-1840. Percussion firing system. Heavy octagonal barrel with curly maple stock extending to end of barrel. Brass fixtures throughout including trigger guard, ramrod guides, buttstock plate and ornately engraved patch box. Engraved on top of barrel in script between hammer and rear sight is "Bishop Charlestown". Illegible numbers or letters on left side of barrel near hammer. Worn bird design on rear of lockplate. On left side of stock opposite lockplate is brass bird design with large screw as head. 1 1/2 inch long oval brass plate on left side of buttstock. One inch long oval silver plate on top of stock at hand grip. Small fixed notched rear sight and small brass front sight. Apprentice Napoleon Nedlar joined Bishop in 1860.
According to History of West Virginia Old and New by James Morton Callahan (Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1923), Henderson Bishop was born in Frederick County, Va., in 1811, completed an apprenticeship in gunsmithing, worked in Baltimore and at the U.S. Arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and farmed in Loudoun County. From 1847 until his death in 1873, he worked in Charles Town as a gunsmith, locksmith, and plumber. See additional information in Media.Acquisition
Accession
79Source or Donor
Read, Eleanor PerryAcquisition Method
Gift