Where to see origials in the Nashville area?

[Dave B]

I am in Nashville for a meeting for a couple of days. Any sugestions as to museums, state parks. I am thinking of renting a car for a day to see some of the sights.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... Tennessee State Museum in North Nashville... has several original Tennessee rifles, and once had a display of a complete East Tennessee rifle shop... I haven't been to the new location, but I understand there still is a great display...

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .. The Sumner County Museum over in Gallatin might still have some... I will add a helpful hint.... many museums have archives with items that they have no space to display... be sure to ask if there are any items in storage that you might view... It has worked for me... !!! ... regards, Cades Cove Fiddler....

[Dave B]

Thank you CCF! This is what i was hoping to find. I will follow up on this.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... and if you happen to come over to the Knoxville area, the Museum of Appalachia north of Knoxville near Norris has some great displays....

[EGG17601]

In the Knoxville area, doesn't Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend also have a permanent display? Realize that's a bit off the proverbial beaten path.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... yes,.... there are a couple old guns from the Smoky Mountains on display there... they obtained the famous Will Walker rifle, "Old Death" a couple years ago, and were supposed to have a special display for it, but it hasn't happened yet.....

[Robin Henderson]

If you're into history, a visit to Andrew Jackson's home, a short drive out I-40, is well worth a visit. I'm pretty sure they have a few guns, especially his dueling pistols.

[RobertS]

The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home, is a great stop.  I haven't been there in years, but supposedly they have a very nice dueling pistol made for him by Philip Creamer, and possibly one made by Wiley Higgins was found in the attic and is on display. 

Please let us know what you find, as I'm sure that a few of us in the area that would like to know. 

[Dave B]

Thanks again for the sugestions. Given the time constraint i only went to the TN State museum. They had some very interesting pieces. They had one early sliding patch box rifle that i proported to have been used at Kings mt to take out major Ferguson. They had items owned by both David Crocket and Daniel Boone.  They say the missing lock was a Joseph goulcher. Is that possible if the rifle is dated to 1770??? The rifle has an iron butt plate it seems. And is quite wide. It looks like a 44" barrel  2" wide butt plate. The breach was heavy at what looked over an inch. Muzzle looks to be a.45 cal.

[JTR]

Joseph Goulcher,

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=77352.0

[Dave B]

Well there hou have it. Thanks JTR. it must have been a replacement lock then.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... "Sweet Lips" has always been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in the old museum in downtown Nashville about 50 years ago... has it been restored,..? .. seems that when I saw it, a long section of the forestock was missing, the triggers and guard were also gone... does the museum still have the rifle shop display,..? ... there were at one time several East Tennessee rifles on display, including Bean rifles, and a matched pair of Baxter Bean silver mounted pistols.... glad you got to visit.. come to the Knoxville show in April... !!! ... regards, Cades Cove Fiddler

[Dave B]

Sadly no rifle shop on display. They had a Jobn Bull? rifle that was very nice. The lighting was dim making it hard to see the details underneith so i had to use my phone flash light to glimps those details. All in all a good visit in the time allowed.

[EGG17601]

They had some very interesting pieces. They had one early sliding patch box rifle that was purported to have been used at Kings mt to take out major Ferguson.

I believe Ferguson was blasted from his saddle by a volley of rifle fire that struck him multiple times, after which he was hung up in his stirrups and dragged by his horse. Something like a dozen militiamen claimed to have shot Ferguson, and they may all have believed that to be the case, and most or all of them may have been right. Ferguson of course was himself a crack shot and the inventor of a breach-loading flintlock rifle with which the light infantry company he had previously commanded had been equipped. When Ferguson had his right arm shattered in combat, that unit was disbanded, and the rifles put into storage. The troops he commanded at King's Mountain was a loyalist force he raised and trained.

[Dave B]

Sweet Lips has not been restored as of yet. Still in the same contion as when you saw it.

[backsplash75]

https://bcyesteryear.com/darling-jones-sweetlips-turned-the-tide-of-the-american-revolution/

Wilder entered the establishment of Summers, Barton and Parrott’s hardware store in the downtown district. Seeing some firearms for sale prompted him to ask if anyone knew the whereabouts of Darling Jones’ gun. Frank Mountcastle, a prominent farmer and merchant who lived near Johnson City was in the store and heard Wilder. He spoke up and said that he owned the prized gun and began to relate its history. Wilder, excited over the news, offered him the best gun in the store in exchange for the old relic. Mr. Mountcastle accepted his proposal and agreed to ship the gun directly to the commissioner’s home in Washington.

The gun was described as being an old, long-barreled, flintlock rifle used by the pioneers for killing game. The stock was broken but the lock and barrel were in good condition. The firearm was fabricated by a man named Deckard of Pennsylvania and was given by Darling Jones to his son-in-law, James Dunkin. The name “Dunkin” was cut in the barrel and helped to establish its identity.

There are a plethora of "King's Mountain" rifles that post date 1780, or are heavily modified.