There are two important schools of carved Midwest powder horns, the well-known Tansel family horns of Kentucky/Indiana, and the lesser-known Mercer County horns of Ohio. I've published on the Mercer Co. horns in two magazine articles, "Mercer County, Ohio, Carved Powder Horns and Their Rooster Headed Eagles" in "The Gun Report" in August of 2001, and "The Elusive Mercer County, Ohio Powder Horn Carver, "W. D'" in "Muzzle Blasts" back in December of 2010. Several new horns have been found since those articles were written, and I intend to do another article, so would like to hear from anyone who might have a Mercer County horn and be willing to share images and dimensions. To make this request more interesting, I am posting pictures of a Mercer Co. horn I recently acquired out of an old estate in Lancaster, Ohio, just southeast of Columbus. The horn's original owner "E. B." was from Reiley Twp in Butler County as noted on the horn, which was carved in 1837. Masonic symbols and a 3-story Masonic temple for the apprentice, journeyman, and master levels appear on the horn. All Mercer Co. horns have strong Masonic imagery, dates, usually the owner's name or initials along with the carver's name of initials, and often the county in Ohio/Indiana where the owner lived. A few Mercer Co. horns show wear, but the majority appear almost unused, and were undoubtedly more a memento of the owner's Masonic ties than a hunting horn to be used. The prevailing thought is that the horns were made as gifts for a master level mason when he became lodge master at his lodge.
Mercer Co. horns have been documented from Van Wert, Mercer, Darke, Preble, Montgomery, and Butler Counties in Ohio, and Shelby and Jay Counties in Indiana, all counties on, or close to, the Indiana/Ohio border. Perhaps new horns will be found from other close-by counties. Most of the horns were carved by William Dunwoody of Butler and Mercer Counties, OH, with several almost identical horns carved by his brother, Samuel Dunwoody, and a couple horns have both men's names on them. These horns may have been inspired by the somewhat earlier Tansel horns of nearby Indiana. All Mercer Co. horns are well carved with large, bulbous lathe-turned butt plugs, and most have "rooster headed" eagles on them with a star field overhead and "E Pluriby Unum" banner, plus polychroming similar to Tansel horns. The following images are of my most recent Mercer Co. powder horn. The carver's initials appear in large flowing script as "W. D." just to the left side of the large date "1837." The horn has suffered "bug bites" in several areas and has years of grim on it in these images.
Shelby Gallien
![](https://i.ibb.co/Tknq8h6/Mercer-a2-2.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/gynzKCz/Mercer-1837-1-2.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/Kw9s2rx/Mercer-1837-2-2.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/HYg0FTR/Mercer-1837-4-2.jpg)
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