Tom Pike?

[Ron Scott]

I am assisting a local family to sell a small collection of contemporary Muzzle Loaders. Amounnst them is a Lancaster style rifles made by Tom Pike. Does anyone know any information about this builder?

[Jim Kibler]

Yes, I knew Tom when I was young.  He had a museum and small gun shop near Guilford Lake Ohio.  I remember having my parents drive me there before I was able. 

He was certainly a character.  Some good memories.

[mr. no gold]

Tom was a prodigious collector and had some pretty fabulous things. He was the proprietor of Fort Tuscarora Museum located near New Lisbon OH, which construction he built himself. Jim nails it down better than that. Dr. Jim Whisker knew him best I believe and I met him through that connection. Tom built some fine rifles as I recall. I had a Western PA gun that he wanted and we eventually made a trade: he got the WPA and I wound up with a nice Henry Hunsicker rifle. It was a trip go go into his house and see rifles stacked all around every room against the walls in the house, under the beds and in the closets. No idea how many he had. There were even things up in the attic as I recall.
Tom was a big man physically and very talented. His wife was a national champion in shooting muzzle loaders. He survived his wife by a few years and Garth Auctions disposed of the collections after his passing. Haven't been back there for a long time so don't even know if the fort still stands. You might contact Jim Whisker and Garths for more information; hope this helps a little bit.
Dick

[Jim Kibler]

Tom had a very nice Beck, a fantastic Michael Edwards, a Schroyer and many more.  The rooms in his house were lined with rifles leaned against the walls.

The museum / retail shop was called  Fort Tuscarawas.  It’s only about 10 minutes from where I live and is still standing, but not like it used to be.

I still can hear the big padlock latch clanking when he would unlock the door to the shop and there was an unmistakable smell inside.

When I was 15 or 16 I helped Tom out with some longrifle work.  His work was pretty rough, but it had a certain flavor.  There were a few others in the area who did work for him as well.

If you want, send a few pictures of the guns.  I’ll be able to tell if it was Tom’s work.

Jim

[wpalongrifle]

Did they every find his Silver Bullion Stash?? supposidly buried in a hidden bunker!!

[DaveL]

I bought many parts from Tom years ago.  Id ask do you have such and such and he’d open file drawers and say let me check.  Stuff was just thrown in, but he could come up with most anything.

He was quite a guy.  The collection in the house was really something., I took a gun just finished, my first, to show him.  He took me to the house and let me handle so many originals all I could say was I had lots to learn.  Wish I could still stop in and see those today.

And I can also hear that lock clunk and door creak open. 

I miss that place and time more as the years go by.

His work varied quite a bit as I remember it, depending on the years he did the work, or maybe more of what Jim said, depending on who did the work for him.  Without Tom in the early 90’s I’m not sure I would’ve kept at the projects like I did.

Dave

[Gaeckle]

Great picture! Wonder if the building still stands,  only met Tom and Ethel at Friendship and knew they lived in that neck of the woods, but I never had the chance to make a visit. They lived about an hour away.

[DaveL]

Building still stands, but is no longer any way a museum or anything.  Keep threatening my wife that we need to go make them an offer and open it back up the way it should be!

I live pretty close, drive by it a few times every month

[Tanselman]

When I first started collecting muzzle loading rifles, there were many more antique firearms auctions in the Midwest. But when I went to an auction and Tom Pike was there, it was usually a waste of time. When he liked a gun, he'd just keep bidding until he get it. I don't think I ever saw him get outbid, once he got started. It was almost like he didn't care what he bid... he just wanted to get the guns he liked. Back in those days, I sure couldn't outbid him... and after one or two tries, I just stopped bidding whenever he started bidding.

Shelby Gallien