Choose A Gun Maker
1798-1801 Nathan & Henry Cobb
1842-1847 Allen & Thurber
1846-1849 Oliver Allen
1848-1883 C.C. Brand Iron Works
1850-1857 Bacon & Company
1852-1855 Smith & Wesson Company
1855-1856 Volcanic Repeating Arms Co.
1855-1858 Manhattan Firearms Co.
1858-1868 Bacon Manufacturing Co.
1861-1863 Eagle Manufacturing Co.
1861-1862 James D. Mowry
1863-1865 Cole & Walker Machine Shop
1863-1865 Norwich Arms Company
1868-1916 Hopkins & Allen
1875-1879 Hood Fire Arms Company
1875-1881 Norwich Pistol Company
1876-1891 Thomas E. Ryan Fire Arms Mfg.
1880-1882 Osgood Gun Works
1882-1887 Norwich Falls Pistol Co.
1891-1910 W. H. Davenport Arms Co.
1892-1929 Crescent Firearms Co.
1898-1914 Alvah E. Grimes, Gunsmith
1900-1910 Thames Arms Company
1901-1905 Thayer, Robertson & Cary
1903-1909 Tobin Arms Mfg. Co.
1913-1917 Warner Arms Corp.
1775's Nathan Cobb & John Leffingwell
Source 1 tells us that Cobb & Leffingwell made and repaired muskets during the Revolutionary War. Their shop was located on Washington Street in Norwichtown.
Source 2 states that a musket repair contract was placed with Nathan Cobb and John Leffingwell around 1775.
Acknowledgements
Norwich Arms Gazette, (2003), Volume 1 Issue 4
The Norwich Gun Industry (2004), page 40
1798-1801 Nathan & Henry Cobb
The first record of arms making in Norwich was a contract for 200 muskets of the Charleville pattern, placed with Nathan and Henry Cobb in 1798. The locks of these muskets were marked, “Norwich.”
Acknowledgements
The Norwich Gun Industry (2004), page 40
1842-1847 Allen and Thurber
Ethan Allen (unrelated to the Revolutionary War Ethan Allen) and his brother-in-law Charles Thurber began making firearms in Norwich, Connecticut in 1842. They established a production facility near Yantic Falls. The availability of year round power, coupled with Norwich’s proximity to the major port cities of New York and Boston was very attractive to them. Many gun makers followed in their footsteps.
Even though Mr. Allen & Mr. Thurber were only in Norwich for a few years, they left behind a local labor force trained in the finer aspects of gunsmithing. Their original employment roster included soon-to-be familiar names such as Thomas Bacon and Horace Smith.
In 1833, before coming to Norwich, Ethan Allen produced cane guns, (shown above), for Dr. Roger N. Lambert in Upton, Massachusetts. Dr. Lambert invented and patented a walking cane that was designed to protect the user from both animal and personal attack. Canes were popular as a status symbol of power in 19th century America. Cane guns became part of the standard garb for gentleman of the day. The design cane guns sparked an idea in Allen that resulted in the under hammer pocket rifle. One of the first “Pocket Rifles” produced by Allen while in Massachusetts is shown below. It is easy to see the influence of the cane gun in the pocket rifle.
After obtaining the first patent in 1837, Allen and Thurber began production of the Pocket Rifle. They were typically sold in pairs, as shown below. Pocket rifles were produced in Norwich during 1837–1847.
The pocket rifle was a single-shot, under-hammer, percussion pistol. The name likely derives from the fact that most pistols of the day did not have rifled barrels, rather than any claim to an extraordinarily long barrel. The hammer located on the bottom of the weapon allowed for target sights to be mounted on the top axis of the barrel. It was made in both .28 and .44 caliber. The average barrel length was 12 inches.
Acknowledgements
Wikipedia
Courtesy of Antique Arms Associates of West Townsend
Courtesy of AuctionZip.com
Courtesy of Morphy Auctions
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Thurber” in the SEARCH box.
1846-1849 Oliver Allen
Oliver Allen, of Norwich, Connecticut, was the inventor of a bomb-lance (1846), an improved gun-harpoon (1848), and an improved bomb-lance (1863). Hand-held shoulder whaling guns, like the one shown below, were used to shoot both bomb-lances and harpoons designed by Oliver Allen. All of his inventions were used by whalers in hand-held. shoulder whaling guns.
This is an example of a “Brand No. 1 Hand Held Shoulder Gun”, made by Christopher C. Brand, (Oliver Allen’s associate). Either lances or harpoons could be fired from this same gun.
This drawing of a bomb lance is a component of Oliver Allen’s 1846 patent. The patent states : “Be it known that I, Oliver Allen, of Norwich, in the county of New London and the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Projectile for Killing Whales or other Fish, or for other purposes to which it may be applicable, the same being termed by me a “bomb-lance …”
This is a photo of the “Improved Gun-Harpoon” built in accordance with Oliver Allen’s 1848 patent. An excerpt from the patent states:
“The method heretofore used for attaching a line to a gun-harpoon has been to secure it to a swivel made to freely slide upon the shank. The said swivel, as soon as the instrument leaves the gun, falls back against a button or head made upon the rear end of the harpoon …”
Australian National Maritime Museum
National Museum of American History
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Oliver Allen” in the SEARCH box.
1848-1883 C. C. Brand Iron Works
C. C. Brand Iron Works, headed by Christopher C. Brand, made whaling guns, bomb-lances, and breech-loading rifles for many years in Norwich. In 1859 Brand built a large two-story machine shop and foundry on the corner of Willow and Franklin Street. The factory was a steam driven plant that employed roughly 60 employees.
A whaler’s hand-held shoulder gun is shown in the photo. This particular model is entirely made of cast iron and has a 1.125″ bore barrel.
It was produced several years after the Brand Model 1 (Shown in the 1846-1849 Oliver Allen article above). Three barrel sizes were available: 0.875″, 1.125″, and 1.250″ bore.
A bomb-lance, designed in accordance with Oliver Allen’s 1863 patent is shown in the photo on the left. Brand’s whaling gun fired this bomb-lance; essentially an explosive tipped spear with a long time fuse. The lance’s embedded “bomb” would explode inside the prey.
Christopher C. Brand was also an inventor. After several years of producing the whaling guns that used lances designed by Oliver Allen, Brand designed and patented a new, improved bomb-lance, shown above.
Brand’s 1856 patent claimed to improve on Oliver Allen’s 1846 design and states:
“Great difficulties have been experienced in the practical operation of the Allen projectile or lance. Generally speaking, it cannot be fired from a gun a distance of over seven rods without deflecting from a straight line.”
It is interesting to note that seven years after Brand’s 1856 patent was awarded, Oliver Allen was awarded another patent in 1863. This patent was entitled “Improvement in Bomb-Lances”.
Acknowledgements
Norwich Arms Gazette, (2003), Volume 1 Issue 4
“The Norwich Gun Industry”, (2004), page 43, by Dick Salzer
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Brand” in the SEARCH box.
1850-1857 Bacon & Company
Thomas K. Bacon was born in 1813 in Massachusetts and moved to Norwich at the age of 29. After working for Thurber & Allen as a machinist for 5 years, he established the Bacon & Company.
This was to be the first of his three gun-making companies in Norwich. The enterprise was located at Yantic Falls near his home. Bacon & Co. produced a large variety of pistols for nearly 7 years. The company was small, employing less than 15 people.
Bacon & Co. made several pistol models. The two most successful were the under-hammer, single-shot percussion pistol and the ring-trigger, single-shot pistol.
The photo on the left illustrates an under-hammer single-shot percussion pistol. Note the hammer located in front of the trigger, underneath the barrel. This pistol sports a .34 caliber, 4” round-to-octagonal barrel marked ”Bacon & Co. / Norwich, C-T” on left angled flat and ”Cast Steel” on left flat. It has a floral engraved frame, with walnut two-piece bag style grips. It is estimated that 500 of these were made. It is believed that these guns were used as target pistols.
The photo on the left illustrates a ring-trigger, single-shot boot pistol. This pistol was intended to be used for self-defense, and the barrel would have fit into the top of a boot. Approximately 400 were produced. The inset shows the manufacturer’s stamp: “BACON & CO NORWICH CT”.
In early 1857 it was clear that percussion revolvers were the wave of the future. As Bacon was preparing to produce revolvers, he was approached by the Manhattan Arms Co. of New York City. It was agreed that Bacon would make revolvers for Manhattan Arms Co. and Manhattan Arms would absorb his expenses. This resulted in the end of Bacon & Company and the beginning of the Norwich production facility of Manhattan Arms Co. .
Acknowledgements
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Bacon & Company” in the SEARCH box.
1852-1855 Smith & Wesson Company
“The dream became a reality when Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed their first partnership in 1852 to manufacture a lever-action pistol that incorporated a tubular magazine which fired a fully self-contained cartridge. This new repeating pistol could be fired as rapidly as the lever, which loaded the pistol and cocked the hammer, could be manipulated. The firepower of this lever-action pistol was so impressive that in 1854 when the gun was reviewed by Scientific American, it was nicknamed the Volcanic because its rapid-fire sequence had the force of an erupting volcano.” (Info Source 1)
During the 1852-1854 period Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson designed and developed magazine firearms and cartridges. In 1854 they founded, along with Cortlandt Palmer, the Smith & Wesson Company in Norwich. This company completed the development of the first repeating gun.
The image shown is a copy of a drawing that is included in the Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson 1854 patent for an “Improved Firearm”, (Patent No. 10,535).
The gun shown here is a rare example of the 8 inch long, 41 caliber, lever action magazine pistol. The gun was the first lever action type firearm and it fired metallic rim fire cartridges. It was produced by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, in accordance with Smith & Wesson’s 1854 lever-action patent.
Also, while in Norwich, in the 1854 S&W patented (Patent No. 11,496 shown in the photo on the left) a new style of cartridge that is the forerunner of all rim fire cartridges today. This rim fire cartridge consisted of a .22 caliber casing, primer, gunpowder, and a bullet. They called it the Number One Cartridge.
The cartridge was not used in any guns produced by the Smith & Wesson Co. of 1854, however, it became the basis of the Smith & Wesson Model Number One revolver. The Model One (shown above in the photo on the right) was introduced in 1857 and was manufactured in various forms through 1881. This style of gun marked the beginning of the modern era of self-contained cartridges and the beginning of a profitable Smith & Wesson.
The Smith & Wesson Co. of 1854-1855 turned out to primarily be a design, development and proof-of-concept operation. By the end of 1854 the company was in financial trouble. The Smith & Wesson Company and all the production rights were sold to Oliver Winchester; at that time a shirt manufacturer. He renamed the company to the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company in 1855. Winchester later found great success producing repeating rifles.
Acknowledgements
Norwich Arms Gazette, (2003), Volume 1 Issue 4
Improvement in Fire-Arms, Patent No. 10,535, (1854), by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson
Rock Island Auction
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Wesson” in the SEARCH box.
1855-1856 Volcanic Repeating Arms
Volcanic Repeating Arms was established as a rifle and pistol factory located on Central Wharf in Norwich, after Oliver Winchester purchased and renamed the Smith & Wesson Company. The photo on the left illustrates the “Volcanic Pocket Pistols” which they produced.
The Volcanic Repeating Arms Company obtained all rights for the Volcanic designs (both rifle and pistol versions were in production by this time) as well as the ammunition, from the Smith & Wesson Company. A Volcanic rifle is shown below.
After the purchase, Horace Smith left the company and returned to his native Springfield, Massachusetts. Daniel B. Wesson stayed on as plant manager with Volcanic Repeating Arms for 8 months. The Volcanic Repeating Arms was insolvent by late 1856 and was reorganized as the New Haven Arms Company in April 1857. The company later in 1866 changed hands again and became the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
Acknowledgements
“Norwich’s Volcanic Past”, Published by ConnecticutHistory.com
Volcanic Carbine
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Volcanic” in the SEARCH box.
1855-1858 Manhattan Firearms Company
The Manhattan Fire Arms Manufacturing Co. was founded by a group of New Jersey businessmen in 1856. Their goal was to take advantage of Colt’s patent for revolving firearms that was due to expire in 1857. The founders hired Thomas Bacon to be the Superintendent of manufacturing.
Manufacturing began in Norwich in 1855. Initially, the company produced a line of small pocket handguns similar to other early offerings from makers like Allen & Thurber. The models included inexpensive bar hammer and conventional hammer single-shot percussion pistols and two styles of percussion pepperboxes.
The gun shown on the left is a bar hammer, percussion pistol that was made in Norwich. This double-action gun was one of the earliest pistols produced by Manhattan Firearms Co. The inset shows the mark on the bar hammer as : “MANHATTAN F.A. MFG. CO. – NEW YORK”. The company headquarters was in New York City, but, the guns were made in Norwich. The bar hammer pistols were produced in several different calibers .31, .34, and .36 and the barrel lengths varied from 2 to 4 inches.
The company moved its production facility out of Norwich in 1858, and remained known as Manhattan Firearms until 1868. Subsequently, it changed its name to American Standard Tool. During their existence, Manhattan Firearms produced approximately 175,000 pistols. Only Colt, Remington, and Winchester produced more pistols during this era.
Acknowledgements
Guns International
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Manhatten” in the SEARCH box.
1858-1868 Bacon Manufacturing Company
The Bacon Manufacturing Company was Thomas Bacon’s second company. He created the Bacon Mfg. Co. soon after he left Manhattan Firearms, where he had been working as Superintendent. The Bacon Mfg. Co. made many reasonable quality percussion revolvers, single-shot cartridge pistols, and the Lady’s Companion Continental Arms .22 caliber pepperbox. The company operated in two rooms of the Auger Mill building at Yantic Falls. There were approximately 10 employees.
Unfortunately, shortly after the Bacon Mfg. Co. began producing revolvers, a lawsuit was initiated by the officers of the Manhattan firm (based in New York City). Bacon had agreed not to compete against them for twenty years. However, Manhattan never signed the agreement and the lawsuit was subsequently dropped.
The gun shown above, produced by the Bacon Mfg. Co., is an example of a “Bacon Pocket Model Revolver”. It is essentially a copy of a Manhattan model revolver. Bacon Mfg. Co. manufactured these from the late 1850’s to the late 1860’s. It is estimated that less than 1000 were produced. The top barrel flat is marked “BACON MF’G NORWICH CONN”.
Things did not end well for Thomas Bacon, in his efforts to run the Bacon Mfg. Co. He was forced out in 1863. According to Info Source 1 :
“It appears that there was a serious internal conflict between Bacon and Charles A. Converse. Converse was Bacon Mfg. Co.’s landlord; he purchased his first shares of stock in February of 1863. He purchased many more shares of stock, gained control of the corporation and became the Secretary of the Corporation by October of 1863. Converse did not like Bacon’s management ability, forced Bacon out of the company, and from that time acted as general agent of Bacon Mfg. Co.”
Converse continued to keep the company operating until early 1868. In May 1868, a new company, Hopkins & Allen Mfg. Co., comprised of Charles A. Converse, Horace Briggs, Samuel Hopkins and Charles Allen, and four of the former Bacon Mfg. Co. employees was formed. Hopkins & Allen purchased all of the assets of Bacon Mfg. Co. and began production of firearms using the equipment and leftover parts of the Bacon Mfg. Co.
Acknowledgements
Guns International
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Bacon Manufacturing” in the SEARCH box.
1861-1863 Eagle Manufacturing Company
In 1822, the Eagle Manufacturing Company purchased the Willimantic Cotton Manufacturing Company in Mansfield, and the village became known as Eagleville. Many years later, in 1861, Albert H. Almy, the principal manager and treasurer of Eagle Mfg. Co. and his brothers John and William were in the business of making paper products. However, with the advent of the Civil War, they recognized the opportunity to support the Union effort. They proposed to build rifled muskets for the U.S. government. In December 1861, the company received a contract from the U.S. Government to produce 25,000 Springfield, Model 61, rifled muskets at a price of $20 ($2,900 in today’s dollars) each. The size of the contract was later modified to 20,000.
In addition to Eagle Mfg. Co.’s contract, James D. Mowry had been awarded a contract to build 30,000 rifle muskets. (Mowry’s contract was also later downsized to 20,000). They teamed up and worked together.
Eagle Mfg. Co. and Mowry both needed gun making machinery and factory space to fulfill the contracts. Machinery was purchased and temporarily put into service in Horace Walker’s Machine Shop (later became Cole & Walker). Subsequently, Eagle Mfg. Co. bought a building previously owned by the Norwich & Worcester Railroad on South Golden Street in Greeneville. The building (a.k.a. the Eagle Armory), shown on the left, was filled was machinery and put into production.
The photo, shown of the left, illustrates one of the Model 1861 Springfield muskets that was produced by the Eagle Mfg. Co. in Norwich.
On September 11, 1863, Eagle Mfg. Co. delivered their final shipment of arms to the government. The total number of muskets produced was 5,500. The remainder of the 20,000 rifle contract was transferred to the newly formed Norwich Arms Company. Albert H. Almy was one of the incorporators of the Norwich Arms Company. Shortly after the Norwich Arms Company was incorporated, the Eagle Mfg. Co. was dissolved.
Acknowledgements
AncestryGuns.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Eagle” in the SEARCH box.
1861-1862 James D. Mowry
“In January 1862, James D. Mowry contracted to furnish the Government with 30,000 rifle muskets of the latest Springfield construction. The barrels were made at Cole & Walker’s. (Franklin Street) the locks by C.B. Rogers Co. of West Chelsea, and other pieces at Mowry’s factory in Greeneville.” (Info Source 1)
The contract was later decreased from 30,000 to 20,000. As discussed in the Eagle Mfg. Co. placemark above, Mowry partnered with Eagle Mfg. Co. to fulfill his contract. They both produced the 1861 Springfield rifled-musket.
Acknowledgements
Norwich Arms Gazette, (2004), Volume 2 Issue 1
American Society of Arms Collectors
AncestryGuns.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Mowry” in the SEARCH box.
1863-1865 Cole & Walker Machine Shop
Five years prior to the beginning of the Civil War, the Connecticut Business Directory listed Cole & Walker (Union Machine Co.) as one of the five machine shops in Norwich. The Mowry machine shop, in Greeneville, is also listed in the same directory. In 1862 it was clear that many more Springfield Model 61 rifle muskets were needed to support the Union Army. James Mowry won a government contract to produce 30,000 muskets and in the same time period A. H. Almy won a contract to make 25,000 rifles.
However, at that point-in-time, neither Mowry or Almy had the machinery, tools, or factory space to fulfill the contract. They formed a partnership. In October 1862, the first shipment of tools and machinery was purchased and delivered to the Cole & Walker machine shop, where they had leased space. In January 1863 Mowry and Almy received a second shipment of gun-making machinery. These tools and machines were installed in both the Cole & Walker shop and a building which later became known as the Eagle Armory. Cole & Walker made the barrels for the rifles and the finished products were assembled at the Eagle Armory.
By April 1863 five hundred Model 61 rifle muskets, made collectively at Cole & Walker and the Eagle Armory, were delivered by the Eagle Mfg. Co. to the U. S. Government. By May 1863, it was clear that there would be no quick end to the war and a much larger production facility was needed. The Norwich Arms Co. was incorporated in May 1863 by A. H. Almy, James D. Mowry, and five others and the Eagle Mfg. Co. was dissolved shortly thereafter.
Acknowledgements
The Connecticut Business Directory, 1856
Invaluable.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Walker” in the SEARCH box.
1863-1865 Norwich Arms Company
The Norwich Arms Company was a major producer of firearms in Norwich. With the tools and machinery that the Norwich Arms Company operated in 1864, they produced about 400 finished muskets per day, or 200 of the Springfield arms, and breech-loading rifles.
The company also produced about 1200 muskets, 3000 bayonets, and 2000 locks per week. In the mid 1850s the value of their product reached nearly $250,000 ($7.8 million in today’s dollars) annually in their yield of 400 muskets or arms daily, at the Government price of $20 ($625 in today’s dollars) each.
The Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (Info Source 1 below) containes a wealth of information about the Norwich Arms Company and details many aspects of musket production.
The company did not survive long after the war. In January 1866 the doors were closed and all the assets were sold at auction to pay back taxes to the city of Norwich.
Acknowledgements
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Norwich Arms” in the SEARCH box.