Levi Shreckengost Gunsmith 1840-1938 Putneyville, PA

[Shreckmeister]

Levi served in the 103rd PA Vols Co D, was captured and held at Andersonville prison for 9 months
and 3 days.  The photo below shows his diary which contains entries from that time period.  I plan
to post the entire diary verbatim, howeverit will take time to figure out alot of the entries because Levi
was not highly literate.  Levi was the eldest son and apprentice of Wm Shreckengost and his first of 3 wives.
After returning from the war he ceased to make guns and turned to a life of beekeeping.  His injuries from
the war were extensive which kept him from farming and he was either unable or unwilling to build guns
any longer.  He is pictured below among his hives.  Also is a photo of his letter requesting his pension in
1930.  Levi's youngest stepbrother Lincoln also apprenticed under his father William G. Shreckengost and was a gunsmith all his life.





Here is a link to a rifle built by Levi Shreckengost

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=13939.0

[Bob Roller]

Back in the mid 1960's,I had a request from a man with the last name of Shreckengost that lived in Ohio. I think his first name was Hans. He told me he had a flint lock I had made that needed some work and I told him to send it to me which he did. It was NOT my lock but one made by Chet Shoults of LaPeer,Michigan. I repaired it and sent it back. He told me that during WW1 that he was a small boy living in Germany and was given a muzzle loading shotgun to kill pigeons that were ruining a barn roof. He overloaded the shotgun and fired it at a line of pigeons and it not only knocked him down but blew shingles off the barn roof and actually did kill a few pigeons. His father then got rid of the shotgun.
I kept his letter for years but it was destroyed by a roof leak in my shop about 1996.
Does anyone on this forum have any of Chet Shoults'locks? The last time I saw him was at Friendship in 1967. Did anyone on the forum know him? He made a nice lock from investment cast parts and no one knew that for a long time until LaDow Johnson saw a box of new lock parts at a foundry and asked who owned them and after that,the cat was out of the bag about how Chet made these locks.

Bob Roller

[Shreckmeister]

I wish that letter was still around.  I know of a man nicknamed Haunts Shreckengost who was related
to the gunsmiths.  His real name was Ernest.  Lived in Putneyville, PA.  Haunts is a funny nickname
especially when added to Shreckengost which means scary guest.

[Mark Tyler]

Note the return address is Putneyville Arms Co. which may have been the business of his brother
Lincoln who born 20 years after Levi, also apprenticed under their father Wm.

Could the return address be: Putneyville, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania?

[Shreckmeister]

Mark,  That is hilarious.  I totally misinterpreted what it says because the guy who sent
it to me said Putneyville Arms Company and I never qustioned it.  I think you are right.
I guess I can quit looking for info on that company eh.

[Paul E. Wog]

Suzkat,
  It is understandable, it's close to Christmas, and visions of Shreck Rifles dance in your head
  Oh wait, that's year round'
                              Shreck

[Shreckmeister]

We believe this tin type recently found in a trunk full of Levi's belongings to be his civil war photograph.

[Paul E. Wog]

Rob,
  I believe you are correct sir
  Someday, that transcribed diary just might be made public
                                          Shreck

[Shreckmeister]

That diary is a treasure.  Captured and held at Andersonville, never a single complaint about the conditions, lack of food & sanitation.  All stated matter of factly.