Womelsdorf School

[Berks Liberty]

Can anyone give me a direction where to get more information, photos on a Jacob or John Palm rifle?  They resided in my home town of Womelsdorf.  From my family records they were ancestors of mine who lived in Womelsdorf only a block from where I grew up.  I have only seen one rifle made by J. Palm which is behind glass at the National Firearms Museum.  Of course the only photographs I could get was through the glass.  It appears to me that they both took on the Lancaster School look to their rifles.  According to the family records J. Palm apprenticed under Bonewitz.  Unknown if this is true or not.  My ultimate plan here is not to acquire a Palm rifle just look at the characteristics and build a rifle which takes on the Palm traditions. 

[turfman]

The only John Palm rifles I've seen had more of a Reading profile to them. I believe they were later (1830'ish) guns though.

I believe Shumway covered a J Palm rifle in muzzleblasts, but don't have a clue when it was.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

There's a John Palm rifle pictured and discussed in Sumway's "Longrifle Articles - Volumn 1" on page 88.  It's a nice looking rifle - certainly worthy of using as inspiration for a contemporary one.  Shumway describes Womelsdorf as a town in Berks Co. in eastern PA.  The rifle he dates in the 1820's - originally flint and converted to percussion in .58 cal smoothrifle with a 45 3/16" long octagon to round barrel.

[eastwind]

John Palm worked in Womelsdorf, 14 miles west of Reading, Berks County - born in 1782 and died in 1865. Womelsdorf is the same town where Bonewitz, Fricker, Ficthorn, Imhoff and Reedy worked earlier. His rifle designs often do not follow the expected Berks County profile. Rifles by Palm are seen frequently Eastern Pa, as he was quite a prolific a maker. He numbered his guns and numbers from 32 t0 214 have been found.

Excerpted from the up-coming book: BERKS COUNTY GUNSMITHS, Eastwind Publishing by Patrick Hornberger

[Berks Liberty]

Eastwind I sent you an email on my family history pertaining to the Palms.  I seen a J. Palm No.192 rifle on the web site for the National Firearms Museum.  They wanted to much to take photos of it.  And when I asked about taking measurements of the rifle they said no. I can understand.  But they wanted like $500 a picture if they took them.  Crazy. 

[Dphariss]

Eastwind I sent you an email on my family history pertaining to the Palms.  I seen a J. Palm No.192 rifle on the web site for the National Firearms Museum.  They wanted to much to take photos of it.  And when I asked about taking measurements of the rifle they said no. I can understand.  But they wanted like $500 a picture if they took them.  Crazy. 

Not crazy if you don't want pics taken.

Dan