Manufactory of Arms on Fine Creek west of Richmond VA

[Dennis Glazener]

I made this post about 9 years ago and never had anyone offer any information. I have not been able to find any information on this business from the local historical societies or online sites. I am not sure where to go to hopefully find more on the weapons being manufactured here. Possibly arms for the state militias? US army, sub-contracts for the VA Manufactory of Arms for the state of VA?? Not even sure where to look other than where I have looked in the past.

Any information would be appreciated.
Dennis

In an earlier post, Mark Elliott mentioned the Virginia Manufactory of Arms established by the Commonwealth of VA.

In Virginia, you had independent gunsmiths making contract rifles for state issue to local militia from the Revolutionary War until the early 19th century when the Virginia Manufactory of Arms was established by the Commonwealth of Virginia.   Most of these militia weapons were retrofitted to percussion with the start of the Civil War. 

About 5 miles from where I live, in Powhatan County VA, was one of these independent shops that produced arms prior to 1819. According to James Whisker's Gunsmith's & Allied Tradesmen of VA there were at least 3 gunsmiths running a Manufactory of Arms on Fine Creek which is a creek that runs into the James river about 20 miles west of Richmond VA. The three men he mentions are Branch T. and William Archer along with Zachariah Brooks. He also records that they sold this operation to Alexander McRae in 1819.

I looked up the dates for VA Manufactory of Arms in Richmond and it appears they started in 1798. My question is where would these three men be selling the guns produced at the Fine Creek operation? This area was settled by French Huguenots and they were farmers, not enough people to support a large gun-making operation. It appears to me that for these men to have made money on the Fine Creek operation they would have to have been producing contract arms for the state of VA. Would it be likely that they would be doing contract work for the VA Manufactory of Arms in Richmond? Fine Creek is located about 1/4 mile from where the creek runs into the James River and is about 20-22 miles up the James River from Richmond. I might also mention that at one time there was a large grist mill operating at this location and it would have been an ideal location for water power to run machinery for a large gun-making business.

Dennis

[Mattox Forge]

Denis,

Could some of, or all of their work have been contract work for the State Manufactory? Is it possible that they were making components, barrels, locks, furniture etc, for sale to other makers further west?

Mike

[backsplash75]

Dennis,
Have you looked through Giles Cromwell's "The Virginia Manufactory of Arms"? He covers some of the early 19th century gunsmiths who did contract rifles to supplement those produced in Richmond at the Va Manufactory. He mentions Sheetz was the first contract in 1808 and that there were upwards of twenty men contracting rifle work and a total of 2,145 rifles produced by external contractors outside of the Va Manufactory.

Whisker's Gunsmiths of Va lists the Archers as well as Zachariah Brooks as living in Richmond (Manchester specifically) from 1793-1808 (married Margaret McRae of Powhatan Co in 1808) and in Chesterfield Co by 1821. I suspect the McRae who purchased the enterprise is likely related to Margaret.

ETA I missed his listing of the rifle contractors in the back: Sheets, Lauck, Rutherford, Higgins, Wiseman, St. John Dixon, Sites, Martin/Wallers/Strhroyer of Randolph Co, Kelly/Dixon, Laidley/Chisler, McCammant, Beirne/Honaker/Wiseman, McCammant, Beirne, Davis, Carson and Baker.

Your three Powhatan Co names are not on the contract rifle maker name list nor are they on the list of known employees at the Manufactory proper from my quick glance.

[backsplash75]

https://www.foundrygolfclub.com/about-us/history-5.html

According to the following Club document the Foundry Building was first established in the early 1800's by a group of entrepreneurial investors:
The history of the Foundry begins in 1816, when four business partners purchased Pleasants Mill and its surrounding ten acres from Robert Pleasants, son of former Governor John Pleasants of nearby Windsor Plantation. The four partners were Dr. Branch T. Archer, William Archer, Zachariah Brooks, and Alexander McRae. Their purpose in buying Pleasants Mill was to turn it into a manufactory of arms for sale to the Federal Government. McRae secured a $140,000 contract from Secretary of War John C. Calhoune to produce 10,000 stands of arms. A stand of arms included a musket, bayonet, and ramrod. The first 2,000 were to be delivered in 1819 when the arsenal was scheduled for completion. The Government advanced $25,000 to cover the estimated start-up cost. Granite was quarried at the site and the Foundry's three-foot thick walls were built. However, the Foundry was never completed and no muskets were ever produced there. Research indicates that construction was greatly delayed by one or more epidemics which killed a number of skilled slave labors.

Fine Creek Foundry consisted of one large and three smaller buildings. This property was impounded by the Federal Government in 1823 and quit claimed in 1869...

history2

[Tim Crosby]

 That's quite a writeup, Thanks for posting.

  Tim C.