Memo received by the president of the Kentucky Rifle Foundation from the executive director of the B & O Railroad Museum regarding the recent KRF longrifle exhibit, “Maryland to the Frontier” at the museum’s Ellicott City Station in Baltimore, Maryland.
I'm sending this to you but feel free to share it with the other members of the KRF.
Thank you all for planning and executing the exhibit "Maryland to the Frontier" at the B&O Railroad Museum's Ellicott City Station. The exhibit was a huge success and 162,145 visitors had the opportunity to see it during the 6 month +/- period the rifles were on display. Many of our visitors had never seen a Kentucky Rifle before and the information presented about the rifles as well as the accoutrements on exhibit were a real educational experience for all.
Out of those visitors:
48% were from Maryland
31% were from other states (largest percentages from Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C., Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Florida and...belive it or not Michigan)
21% were international (largest percentages from the UK, Germany, Finland, Japan and France...with 6 visitors from Albania)
The exhibit produced more than 45 newspaper articles and/or calendar listings all over Maryland.
Some of the e-mail comments received about the exhibit are below:
I had always known that the famous "Kentucky" rifle was carried West by the settlers but had no idea they were works of art!
George F., Grand Rapids, Michigan
What a tremendous exhibit of rare rifles made in Maryland...I had no idea they were made here.
Hurst H., Cumberland, Maryland
Thank you for staging this exhibit on Maryland rifles. My son and I came back three times to visit and every time we learned something new!
Henry J., Washington, D.C.
My mother's family name is Rowe and they were from the Federick/Washington County area...I wonder?
Rebecca C., Westminster, Maryland
We really enjoyed seeing the rifles even though we came to play with trains. Thanks for presenting something that we didn't expect.
Gene B., Philadelphia. Pennsylvania
There are many more.
I look forward to working with all of you on the next adventure.
The B & O Railroad Museum is rated a 5 Star attraction by the readers of the New York Times.
The Kentucky Rifle Foundation’s display of longrifles made in Maryland is the second in a planned series of public exhibits in keeping with the Foundation’s mission of ‘Preserving the Heritage of the Kentucky Rifle’. The guns featured in the display are available on the KRF’s cd Volume I, Issue VII.
To learn more about the KRF please visit: kentuckyriflefoundation.org
