2016 Tennessee Kentucky Rifle Show: Photos

North Carolina Schools of Longrifles 

by C. Michael Briggs

#7 Mecklenburg School Display

(Mecklenburg County and Lincoln County)

"Longrifle Makers of Rowan County, North Carolina"
 and

"Longrifle Makers of Mecklenberg County, North Carolina"
 

are the topics that will be discussed by Michael at  
2016 MESDA Saturday Seminar: Rifle Makers of Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina
on September 17, 2016

Piedmont N.C. Banded Powder Horn

This banded powder horn was made in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina.  It is not known who the maker of this type of powder horn was, but they are always traced back to the Upper Piedmont Area of North Carolina.  This is one of three nearly identical powder horns that have surfaced in Guilford, Alamance and Randolph Counties.  All three feature a single band near the raised plug with a large staple.  All three also feature a carved bone applied tip.  The tip is now missing of the horn in Alamance County.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by C.G. (top)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Logan Hendersson

(attributed) (center)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by S.M.B. (bottom)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by C.G.

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School in Mecklenburg County.  The maker of this longrifle has yet to be identified but we know his initials were C.G. as is how he signed the patchbox lid.  This rifle has all of the architectural features that you  look for on a Mecklenburg School Longrifle.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Logan Hendersson

(attributed)

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School.  The rifle issigned “L.H.”  Logan Henderson was the son of James Henderson who operated a mill in Gaston County.  Logan Henderson was born in 1785.  He moved to Rugherford County in Tennessee in 1818 with his wife Margaret.  This is one of the two Mecklenburg School Rifles signed “L.H.” that survives.  This rifle has all of the architectural features that you  look for on a Mecklenburg School Longrifle.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by S.M.B.

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School.  The longrifle is signed S.M.B. on the patchbox lid.  This is believed to stand for Samuel Black, but has not been documented.  This rifle is relief carved and has all of the architectural features that you look for on a Mecklenburg School Longrifle.  There is a second S.M.B. signed rifle from this school that is incised carved.

Piedmont N.C. Banded Powder Horn

This banded powder horn was made in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina.  It is not known who the maker of this type of powder horn was, but they are always traced back to the Upper Piedmont Area of North Carolina.  This one surfaced in Alamance County.  It features three applied bands, a bee-hive style plug and an applied wooded tip.

Mecklenburg North Carolina Pistol

Possibly by Zenas Alexander

This silver mounted pistol has been attributed to the Mecklenburg, North Carolina Longrifle School.  The raised beed forestock molding and barrel tang on the pistol is similar to that found on the rifles made in this school.  One of the Mecklenburg gunsmiths was Zenas Alexander.  He was also a noted silver smith.  It is possible that he made this pistol.  Zenas Alexander was born December 25, 1771.  After the death of his father Zebulon Alexander, he was bound as a apprentice to Isaac Price in July 1787 to train as a gunsmith.  He worked as a master gunsmith and silversmith until his death in 1826.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

Possible Isaac Price Rifle (top)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Christian Arney (center)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Zenas Alexander (bottom)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

Possible Isaac Price Rifle

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School in Mecklenburg County.  This is the earliest known example of a lonngrifle from this school.  Isaac Price worked in the 1770-1790 period in Mecklenburg County and is to have been the founder of this school.  Most of the later known gunsmiths from this school served their apprenticeship under him.  This circa 1780,, rifle features a 1 3/4” wide butt with a straight butt plate and a sliding wood patchbox.  The two-screw sideplate on this rifle is identical to the sideplate used by Isaac Thompson on his later Mecklenburg School Longrifles.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Christian Arney

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School in Mecklenburg County.  The longrifle was made by Christian Arney and is signed by him on the patchbox lid.  He lived and worked just west of the Catawba River in Lincoln county, but worked in the Mecklenburg School Style.  He was born in 1795 and died in 1840.  This is one of two longrifles and one pistol that are signed by him to have surfaced.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Zenas Alexander

This North Carolina Longrifle is from the Mecklenburg School.  The rifle is the only known signed example by Zenas Alexander that survives.  He was born on December 25, 1771.  His father Zebulon Alexander died in March 1784.  In July 1787, Zena was bound by the Mecklenburg Court as an apprentice to Isaac Price to train as a gunsmith.  He worked as a master gunsmith and silversmith until his death in 1826.  He also trained apprentices Henry McBride (1797), James Mitchell (1798), James McKee (1805), and Elisha Smartt (1810) in these arts.

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

Possible Isaac Price Rifle (top)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Christian Arney (center)

#7 Mecklenburg School Longrifle

by Zenas Alexander (bottom)

2016 MESDA Saturday Seminar: Rifle Makers of Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina

September 17, 2016

MESDA Saturday Seminar:
"Rifle Makers of Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina"

The seminar will feature three prominent experts in the field of southern longrifle studies: Mel Hankla (American Historic Services, Jamestown, Kentucky), C. Michael Briggs (author and independent scholar, Greensboro, North Carolina), and Wayne Elliott (author and independent scholar, Blue Ridge, Georgia).

The day-long program will also include an exhibit of longrifles provided by the three speakers and related to their lecture topics.

Copy from the displays by C. Michael Briggs with photographs by Jan Riser at the 2016 Tennessee Kentucky rifle Show.