School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Christian Beck, brother of J. P. Beck, worked as a gunsmith in the early 1800’s in Lebanon, PA. It appears that he was itinerant for part of his life, travelling westward, as did many gunsmiths at the time. Note: It is possible that there was a father and son who were both gunsmiths, and the matter is further complicated in that there were C. Becks making guns as far west as St. Louis in the following generation. None of this mitigates the fact that some well-made flintlocks signed “C. Beck” adorn some of the finest collections.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John P. Beck (1751-1811) was one of the superior builders of Pennsylvania longrifles. He was taxed in Lebanon, PA from 1772 until the time of his death. He built fine longrifles as well as Committee of Safety arms for the war effort. He was instrumental in establishing the regional style, and his rifles are often embellished with bold rococo scrollwork and beautiful engraving. Occasionally the underside of a Beck barrel will carry the inscription “INRI” or “DEO.” Due to stylistic and architectural congruence, it is believed that Beck was the master of Nicholas Beyer, another master builder from the Dauphin/Lebanon region. Note: Until 1785, this region was part of Lancaster County. In this year it became part of Dauphin County and in 1813 the area became part of Lebanon County. Essentially, when Beck was a gunsmith he was paying taxes to Dauphin County.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Peter Bellis (1799-1885)was a prolific maker of flintlock longrifles from the 1820’s through the 1860’s. He worked in Lykens in northern Dauphin County. In 1855, a Peter Bellis, Jr., also was assessed as a gunsmith in nearby Wiconisco.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Peter Berry (d. 1796) is regarded as a grand master of the Dauphin/Lebanon region. He was taxed as a gunsmith in Heidelberg Twp., Dauphin County from 1786-1796. His distinct rifles reflect excellent crafstmanship and engraving, and genuine specimens are rare and especially desirable. Berry and his contemporaries in the trade reveal the complexity of discussing what we call the Dauphin/Lebanon school. These men worked in Dauphin County prior to the formation of Lebanon County in 1813. After 1813, tradesmen near present day Annville paid taxes to the newly-formed county of Lebanon.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Andrew Berryhill was taxed as a gunsmith in Harrisburg, Dauphin Co, circa 1805-1810.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Nicholas Beyer (c.1780-1850)is regarded today as one of the grand masters of the late golden age of flintlock riflebuilding. Beyer was most likely an apprentice of J. P Beck of Lebanon, PA. Beyer worked near Annville at the dawn of the 19th century and produced many fine guns. His patchboxes often feature a bird finial and his general style suggests strong “Pennsylvania Dutch” folk influence. Beyer rifles are in some of today’s best collections, and specimens can be found with either full-octagon or octagon-to-round barrel configurations. Many of his barrels are inscribed boldly on the top facet “N. Beyer.” Along with J. P. Beck, Beyer occasionally marked INRI or DEO on the underside of his barrels. He was a masterful woodcarver and capable engraver. The federal census of 1850 lists a Nicholas Boyer, age 70, among those dwelling at the almshouse in South Lebanon Township. As no death or burial records have been found for Beyer, it is probable that the old master was buried in Potter’s Field.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John Bowers, gunsmith, Jonestown, Lebanon Co., PA., taxed in 1860 circa. Builder of percussion rifles and pistols.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Willaim Boyd, Harrisburg, Dauphin Co, gunsmith, 1811. Boyd family was early to region, holders of Penn land grant.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John Brooks, Jr., was taxed as a gunsmith from 1802 through 1817 in Harrisburg, the county seat of Dauphin County, PA. He built classic longrifles with Lancaster school overtones, consistent with the fact that he built guns in Lancaster city prior to moving to Harrisburg.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Samuel Buchanan was taxed as a gunsmith in 1814, working out of Halifax, Dauphin Co., PA. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

James Campbell (1805-1856) was taxed as a gunsmith in Middletown, PA, from 1831 to the mid-1840’s. Campbell was one of several gunsmiths to work in or near this boro, the oldest in Dauphin County, strategically located mid-way between Lancaster and Carlisle on the original Pennsylvania turnpike road. Architecturally, Middletown rifles often reflect a modified, yet distinct association to those produced in nearby Lancaster.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Alexander Denning is listed as a gunsmith in 1807 in Harrisburg, PA. Denning learned the trade from Christian Klein.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Amos Early (c. 1840-1904)was taxed as a gunsmith from the late 1850’s to the time of his death in West Hanover Twp., Dauphin Co., PA. There was some relationship with the Shell family, as there are extant percussion fullstocks signed “Shell and Early.”

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John Ford was taxed as a gunsmith in Harrisburg, PA from 1833 through 1852. He served also as the superintendent of the state armory in Harrisburg. He was a capable builder of both flintlock and percussion longrifles. He died in 1862.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

David Glassbrenner (1798-1872) worked as a gunsmith from 1828 through the mid-1850’s in Dauphin County, PA. It is believed that most of his time was spent in Harrisburg and contiguous townships.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John N. Hampton, Jr., was taxed as a gunsmith in West Hanover Twp., Dauphin County, PA from the early 1830’s into the 1860’s. Dauphin County-style flint and percussion guns signed “I N H” can be attributed to him.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John Hoffman, Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA, gunsmith, tax list 1828. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Christian Klein (d.1825) built flintlocks at the dawn of the 19th century in Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., PA.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Kline appears in Dauphin County records as a gunsmith working in Harrisburg, 1818-1821.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

P. Kline (d. 1870) was taxed as a gunsmith as early as 1828 and his name appears in county records as being active in the trade through the mid-1860’s. His gunshop was located in Halifax, Dauphin Co., PA. Halifax is located north of Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River and was the site of one of Pennsylvania’s F&I war forts.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

George L. Kunkle (d. 1869) was taxed as a gunsmith from 1831 to 1860 in Harrisburg, the county seat of Dauphin Co., PA. He built full-length flint and percussion guns, sometimes encountered with well-executed 4-piece patchboxes.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Benjamin F. Landis (1800-1833) learned the trade from Jacob Roop of Paxton and built guns in Halifax Boro. He was active within the county as early as 1819. It appears that Landis moved west sometime after 1825 for he later surfaces as a gunsmith in Cincinnati, Ohio.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Simon Lingle was taxed as a gunsmith in 1850, working in Derry Twp., Dauphin Co., PA. (present-day Hershey) Known specimens are percussion rifles.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Edward Mechlius, gunsmith, Halifax Boro, Dauphin Co., PA, tax list 1815. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

M. Poorman was one of Dauphin County’s earliest gunsmiths, his name first appearing in 1772 Lancaster court documents, which antedate the formation of Dauphin County by 13 years. His work is exceedingly rare and known specimens have characteristics similar to the work of Martin Shell.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Raaf, gunsmith, Halifax Boro, Dauphin Co., PA, 1820 tax list. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

David Reduk, Annville Twp., Dauphin Co., PA, tax list 1800, gunsmith. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

E. Reedy was the son of Leonard Reedy and lived about three miles from Gratz, Dauphin Co., PA. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Roop was taxed as a gunsmith from 1805 to 1815 in the Swatara/Paxton region of Dauphin County, near Harrisburg. Many of the barrels of his flintlocks are signed “I Roop” in block letters. Roop’s rifles frequently present attractive 4-piece patchboxes with pierced finials. It is believed that there was, for a period of time, a father and son team, Jacob Sr., and Jacob Jr., but signed rifles bear no distinction.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Daniel Shell (d.1864), the son of Martin Shell, Jr., and brother of John, was taxed as a gunsmith in Lower Paxton Twp., Dauphin County, PA, from 1825 through 1847.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

John Shell (1795-1875) was taxed as a gunsmith in West Hanover Twp., east of Harrisburg, from 1817 through 1871. He built fine flintlocks and percussion rifles and was one of the few makers to number his rifles as well as sign them. He was one of the few men in the region to carry the traditional style of gunbuilding beyond the Civil War period. His father was Martin Shell, one of the grand masters of the Dauphin County school.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Martin Shell, Sr. (1737-1796) built both Committee of Safety muskets for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and flintlock rifles. He was an early influence in the Dauphin school and the patriarch of three generations of fine gunbuilders within Dauphin County. Shell was taxed as a gunsmith in Paxton Township.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Martin Shell, Jr., (1763-1817) was taxed as a gunsmith in Paxton Twp. Dauphin County, PA from 1790 to the time of his death. He was the father of John, Jacob and Daniel Shell, all gunsmiths. While some sources list only one Martin Shell, it is most likely that there was Martin Sr., a maker of muskets and a few fine rifles in the earliest period, and that his son, Martin Jr., was the maker of many of the golden-age specimens which reflect the Dauphin school at its finest. Rifles signed “Martin Shell” are rare. A few specimens can be seen in Kindig’s 1960 text, Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in Its Golden Age, G. Shumway, Publisher.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

H. Shultz, a late maker of percussion arms, working out of Richland, Lebanon Co., PA, 1861. (Kauffman, 1960)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Christian Siple was apprenticed to Jacob Haeffer in Lancaster Boro as early as 1797. He moved to Middletown, PA where he was taxed as a gunsmith from 1808 to 1825. He worked in town as well as in contiguous Swatara Township, Dauphin County. He died circa 1827. Some of his products show a strong Lancaster stock profile, while others have a curvilinear shape to the stock comb.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Sneevely, gunsmith, Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., PA, taxed in the trade as early as 1817.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Christian Stall, gunsmith, 1817 tax list, working out of Harrisburg, PA. Builder of flintlocks.

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Adam Sweigart, gunsmith, Halifax, Dauphin Co., appears on tax lists 1815, 1817. (Kauffman, 1960)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Unholtz, gunsmith, Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA, tax lsit 1825. (Kauffman)

School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)

Jacob Welshantz (Welshance) Jr., son of York gunsmith J. Welshantz, worked in Harrisburg in the 1807-1811 period. He then moved to York where he carried on the family trade through 1831.