Fowler found in a wall

[Stoner creek]

Guns "found in walls" seems to be a long-standing theme.  It doesn't detract in any way from the origins, quality, and history of any of these guns but what's the deal with people supposedly sealing up guns in such a way in decades or centuries gone by?  Or, is "found in a wall" a myth that has somehow grown over time?  Has anyone on this forum actually found a gun in a wall or are all of these finds second-, third-, or more-hands removed accounts?  Just curious - not trying to denigrate anyone or anything but I find guns being tossed into rafters, attics, basements, barns, etc. a lot more plausible.

Not trying to steal the thread, but yes, the tales are true .. ..*. My late buddy was cleaning out a relative's house after the 93 year old gentleman died in 1982 and found several old muskets up in the basement ceiling rafters.
           *. I was the executor of my buddy's estate when he died in 2018. He had an EXTENSIVE collection and had expertly hidden parts of it within various walls where nobody would ever have found them without tearing down his old farm house. Fortunately I knew where to look .......


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Shazam! Jackpot!!

[Bob Roller]

Consruction on our current house started in 1903 and it was on the tax records as a residence in 1905.
When my grandfather removed a section of wall to enlarge the living room we found a high water mark
at the level of the light switch.No guns or skeletons.Huntington has been flooded twice in the 20th century
and the years were 1913 and 1937 so I know this house once had high water in it but don't know if
the high water mark was from 1913 or 1937.
Bob Roller

[120RIR]

Nope...the thread has not been "stolen" at all.  To the contrary, that's exactly the kind of input I'm interested in.  It has no bearing on the rifles/guns necessarily but we're all very familiar with family stories and attributions, and general legend and lore.  We see it on Antiques Roadshow all the time and being a career archaeologist/historian, I see it all the time in my line of work.  For example, a tremendous number of houses in the east are supposed to have been stops on the Underground Railroad.  Comparably, an awful lot of old houses out here on the Left Coast end up with Pony Express associations. If all of them actually were stops, the mail never would have made it through!  Far more often than not they're romantic stories passed down through multiple generations lending them an air of authenticity.

[Eric Krewson]

There is a story around town, Florence Al, that some folk were remodeling an antebellum house down town, tore down a wall and found a complete mummified union solder in the wall, in uniform with his rifle.

Don't know if it is true, if so he messed with the wrong folk when the union army occupied the town.

[Collector]

There is a story around town, Florence Al, that some folk were remodeling an antebellum house down town, tore down a wall and found a complete mummified union solder in the wall, in uniform with his rifle.

Don't know if it is true, if so he messed with the wrong folk when the union army occupied the town.

That did, in fact, happen in a downtown B&B across from my home in Savannah, GA, except is was a fully outfitted Union cavalryman, sword and all.   

We humans are indeed an odd lot.  Best way to find a hand tool that you've lost, is to go out and buy a new one to replace it.  You'll find that 'lost' tool, in short order.  Who amongst us, has this not happened to?

[bama]

I have a rifle that was found in a wall in a house here in Alabama. I feel certain the rifle was hidden during the time of the civil war. The rifle was found during a renovation of the old home to turn it into part of a Christian Academy. There was a article written up in the local newspaper about the rifle being found in the wall. I acquired the rifle from the gentleman that had been given the rifle by the renovator. So finding a gun in the walls of old homes is a real thing. I also had a NE Fowler that was made by Lemual Leland and it was stocked up in Cherry using French parts. Were these parts from an earlier gun, I don't know and could really care less, it is a great Fowler, nothing can take away from that. This Fowler also had the owners initials on a thumb piece, sorry I cannot recall the initials, I sold the Fowler to a fellow collector. I did give him the research that I did on the owner. One interesting thing I found out about the original owner was that his occupation was listed as being a "Gentleman". Anyway the Fowler in this thread is a great gun. If it was stocked using earlier French parts so be it, that does not take anything away from the piece. There were many guns being built during this time frame using earlier parts, especially militia guns. I would be proud to be the owner of any of them. So any of you guys wanting to get rid of them junky old restocks, just send them my way.

[Mike Brooks]

I have a rifle that was found in a wall in a house here in Alabama. I feel certain the rifle was hidden during the time of the civil war. The rifle was found during a renovation of the old home to turn it into part of a Christian Academy. There was a article written up in the local newspaper about the rifle being found in the wall. I acquired the rifle from the gentleman that had been given the rifle by the renovator. So finding a gun in the walls of old homes is a real thing. I also had a NE Fowler that was made by Lemual Leland and it was stocked up in Cherry using French parts. Were these parts from an earlier gun, I don't know and could really care less, it is a great Fowler, nothing can take away from that. This Fowler also had the owners initials on a thumb piece, sorry I cannot recall the initials, I sold the Fowler to a fellow collector. I did give him the research that I did on the owner. One interesting thing I found out about the original owner was that his occupation was listed as being a "Gentleman". Anyway the Fowler in this thread is a great gun. If it was stocked using earlier French parts so be it, that does not take anything away from the piece. There were many guns being built during this time frame using earlier parts, especially militia guns. I would be proud to be the owner of any of them. So any of you guys wanting to get rid of them junky old restocks, just send them my way.

It is rather common for NE fowling guns to be made from old parts from French guns, be they one old French gun or several. It isn't meant to be a disparaging thing to point this type of thing out. 

[JV Puleo]

It's a lovely fowler but I often wonder about these "found in a wall" stories, especially here in New England. My experience with 18th century houses (mine was built in 1703) is that they do not have hollow walls. You'd have to assume that they were walled up when they were already old and, for the most part obsolete.

[WESTbury]

I lived in New England for 55 years where stories abound about "thrifty yankees" being very frugal, most of which are true. My personal opinion is that no New Englander would hide a firearm in a wall. They would either have it repaired, sell, or trade it for as much as they could get.

It makes a nice story but, that's probably all it is.

The fowler in question is a great piece and does not need a story to enhance it. Would that it were mine.

[WKevinD]

The fowler was found in an old family farmhouse in upstate NY. Balloon framing was popular and practical and an opening in floor at the back of a closet allowed the "old fashion" rifle to drop and stay until a decades later renovation.
Luckily, for us it wasn't messed with but wrapped up and put back in a closet in the thirties where it stayed until the current owner got back from Vietnam and inherited it from his family and he put it in a gun sock and put it back in a closet.
Like most of us he is aging and looking at his stuff and appreciating it's history and wanting to know more about this bit of family history.
Kevin

[Eric Kettenburg]

It's funny you mention balloon framing because from the time I was probably 9 or 10 all through high school and into my early 20s, I worked with my dad and uncle who were 3rd gen house builders.  We did a lot of renovation work on ballon frame houses but pretty much all we ever found in walls were a LOT of empty liquor bottles, we assume from guys hiding it from their wives, and also a few times, some weird 1930s through 1950s 'dirty' paperbacks - also assumed to be ditched there by guys hiding it from their wives 

[WESTbury]

The fowler was found in an old family farmhouse in upstate NY. Balloon framing was popular and practical and an opening in floor at the back of a closet allowed the "old fashion" rifle to drop and stay until a decades later renovation.
Luckily, for us it wasn't messed with but wrapped up and put back in a closet in the thirties where it stayed until the current owner got back from Vietnam and inherited it from his family and he put it in a gun sock and put it back in a closet.
Like most of us he is aging and looking at his stuff and appreciating it's history and wanting to know more about this bit of family history.
Kevin

That makes a lot more sense, it was not intentionally hidden in a wall rather it "slipped through the cracks". Your friend has a great deal to appreciate with this fowler.
When I returned home in 1970, I could not find the baseball I caught at a spring 1959 Pirates-Milwaukee Braves game. I should return to that apartment to see if its still there! The ball was hit by Roberto Clemente, wish I still had it.

[Page93]

typewriter font copy paste   




Pick this up a couple weeks ago its had  a few repairs done too the stock, and it has a replacement lock on it (would love to find a original to complete this piece of history ) if you all could Help me find more information on it ,there is not much online that i could see . It has one small makers mark on barrel with a crown over top of AM i think, 44 1/4 “ barrel ,octagon to round .62 caliber , no rifling . Thank you all ahead of time ! Looking forward to all the insight !!

[WESTbury]

Great looking looking pool cue  fowler. Do you have a full-on photo of the current lock, barrel markings, and spec's on the fowler?

Thanks for letting us share the gun.

[Page93]

 

 It has one small makers mark on barrel with a crown over top of AM , Thats the only makers mark on the entire rifle  .     44 1/4 “ long barrel ,octagon to round .62 caliber .  Its 100 percent reproduction lock .  Thanks !!!

[Page93]

[WESTbury]

Check out New England Fowler NE 34, page 68 of Grinslades Flintlock Fowlers book having an original French lock, for an idea of what may be appropriate.

[Page93]

What do you think the date on this rifle is ? And im having trouble finding that ?

[Page93]

Could you send me a link ?

[WESTbury]

Tom Grinslade's book is available on Amazon Books.

[Page93]

Thanks for your time sir !

[rich pierce]

This is a higher end sporting gun in my view. It likely had a round faced lock, mirrored on the sideplate. It would be difficult and very expensive to find an original lock that’s appropriate. Plates 95-98 in Torsten Link’s “the Flintlock: It’s Origin, Development, and Use” show guns very much in this style. Photography is abysmal but the research is to high standards. The guns shown are dated 1750s to 1770s.

The closest lock castings I see are from a Poser Jaeger #653 from The Rifle Shoppe. That lock seems very much of French styling. The bottom edge of the lock plate is pretty straight.

TRS #703 French Flintlock Fowler lock has a slight belly on the lockplate where the frizzen spring attaches. If you’d mortise is like that, this would be an excellent choice.

[Page93]

Thanks!

[rich pierce]

Thanks!

If you want me to take pictures out of catalogues etc let me know and we can PM to get them to you.

[Page93]

Yeah those books are pricey 😂