AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: Bill Wilde on May 13, 2020, 04:08:21 AM
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I am looking for information on gunsmith Michael Withers who has been listed as working in Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, PA in the last quarter of the 18th century. More specific I'm interested in his younger nephew also Michael Withers, who is listed as a gunsmith in Lancaster in the early 1800's. I have one scrap of imformation that young Michael started a water powered gun barrel manufacturing business along the Octoraro River which borders Lancaster and Chester Counties. The upper forge was called Sadsbury Forge I and the lower forge was called Sadsbury Forge II.
Hoping someone here might have more complete information on his enterprise. thank you!
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Were you able to find out any more information on this maker? I'd be interested in learning more about this one.
I did find this in a search.
https://www.lancasterhistory.org/images/stories/JournalArticles/vol9no3pp67_73_197451.pdf
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If John Fraser were making guns in the frontier and Heinrich Schreckengost was making guns in the frontier and who knows how many others, why would it
be difficult to imagine barrel making at Lancaster before the town began to grow. Would Lancaster have been on the edge of the frontier at the time
period in question? I tend to think gunsmiths moved into the frontier to sell and service the expansion early on, but take that with a grain of salt because
I am no expert.