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GATEWAY TO THE PAST In 1963, dreams of our glorious past became alive through the efforts of a cadre of dedicated artisans. James W. Wright illiamsburg, Virginia Washington married widow Martha buildings, beautiful gardens and COURTESY OF COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY was a city of first Dandridge Custis, from a wealthy antique furnishings. Education and This ad from the Virginia Gazette dated August 8, 1761, is the first known advertisement for rifling barrels in Colonial America. importance in the Williamsburg family, and became a historical research to understand, colonies. Nestled near the tidewater familiar local figure. appreciate and respect our founding preservation of all aspects of colonial their father’s trades of gunsmithing Others arrived with little more than a Wbasin of the James River, the city In the early 20th century, after citizens became paramount guiding life. Their studies and research and brass casting. After 1760, when desire to be part of something bigger boasted the College of William and more than a century of neglect, principles. It would become a world of the Kentucky rifle have been James Geddy Jr. purchased the than themselves, and a willingness Mary. Thomas Jefferson, James the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin leader in setting standards for pivotal in bringing about a better house and lot from his mother and to learn the nearly forgotten manner Monroe, John Tyler and sixteen signers solicited financial support from recreating the lifestyle from appreciation and understanding of established his silversmith and of daily colonial life. As the crafts of the Declaration of Independence seasonal resident John D. Rockefeller colonial American days, early America’s frontier. jewelry business, William and David became more of a focus, literally were alumni of the College. George Jr. to resurrect the fading glory of the as well as in exploration, A Gun Building Tradition: Gun continued to operate the foundry as from the hills of Virginia came a city. His dream of a revived Colonial replication and an exacting building in Williamsburg began a separate enterprise. These findings young man who would become a Williamsburg was to include with John Brush who arrived from verified the history of gunsmithing virtual Pater classis among artisans in more than charming but static London in 1717. He was a master in from before the Revolutionary War general and gunsmiths in particular. the Gun Makers’ Guild in England. in Williamsburg and a concerted Wallace Gusler had been working as James Geddy Sr. established his effort began to address recreating a self-taught gun builder for several shop prior to 1736. His sons, William this craft. years when his work came to the and David, carried on the business The Colonial Williamsburg attention of the young longrifle after their father died in 1744. In Foundation realized that people are collector Robin Hale, a graduate 1750, six years after her husband’s the lifeblood of any organization. student at Virginia Tech. After death, Anne Geddy sold the east lot, Many talented individuals availed graduation Robin learned Colonial forcing her sons to relinquish the themselves to work, study, research Williamsburg needed a gunsmith. He workroom on the property to its new and examine priceless artifacts. saw an opportunity and his interest owner. Subsequently, the brothers helped Wallace to get an interview built a workroom on the west side of A young Wallace Gusler in 1968. and eventually employment at the the foundry. Colonial Williamsburg’s Deane The Geddy brothers advertised Forge, beginning December 3, 1962. in the Virginia Gazette on August When Wallace arrived, Reeves 8, 1751 they were carrying on the Goehring Jr. was working at the “Gunsmith’s, Cutler’s and Founder’s magazine, a repository for a large trade, to include Gun Work, such number of original muskets. Reeves as Guns and pistols, Stocks plain was training Dan Berg in repairing or neatly varnished, Locks and and maintaining the ‘Brown Bess’ Mountings, Barrels blued, bored muskets used in the militia musters and rifled.” This advertisement and musket firing demonstrations. indicates that David and William Working out of the second floor of Geddy were partners, continuing in the guard house and at the powder magazine, Reeves had Berg stock up a smoothbore long gun from Left: The reconstructed Geddy work shop now holds the C.W. Gun Shop. WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY parts. With his experience in casting 14 A MERIC A N T RADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY A MERIC A N TRADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 15 The “movie rifle” documented in the 1968 film, The Gunsmith of Williamsburg. RIC LAMBERT guard and butt piece, fabricating the Shop on Prince George Street. flintlock rifles, commented on the stock and sheet brass mounts using Gusler’s lifelong friend Gary state of knowledge at the time: “It brass, Reeves also only hand tools. He completed this Brumfield, who had hunted with was obvious back in Salem, when introduced Berg to first rifle in only eight days. This Wallace using their homemade we saw the early rifles in Kindig’s foundry work at the Deane bold move was the catalyst for the book, Thoughts on the Kentucky Forge, which became Berg’s re-establishment of gun building in Rifle in it’s Golden Age, we had main interest. Dan went on to be a Colonial Williamsburg. been missing what characterized foundry man at the Geddy Foundry, Reeves would head the shop, firearms from before and around a position he held until retiring. but as a summer employee who had the Revolutionary War. And the In the meantime, Wallace worked five weeks in 1962 and six early guns really appealed to us.” became frustrated forging items for weeks in 1963, making only $100 a From the beginning, the gun shop sale to tourists. During the spring week with lodging, he soon moved on epitomized Colonial Williamsburg’s of 1963, working on his own after to his main vocation, that of a history goals. It was a fortuitous day when hours, Gusler built a flintlock rifle teacher. In 1963, the Williamsburg this shop was established, not only using an original barrel and lock Gunsmith Shop opened in one room for the Foundation, but also for with commercially cast brass trigger above the Deane Forge Blacksmith future aspiring gun builders who A beautiful brace of silver would have an interest in building mounted pistols, one of two identical RIC LAMBERT sets, each a joint effort by George Suiter, Clay Right: An early photograph of Gary Brumfield at work in the shop. flintlock firearms, and the desire to Smith, Richard Frazier and Richard Sullivan. Below: Current Gun Shop Master George Suiter (r) rifling a hand forged gun barrel with journeyman Clay WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY Smith assisting, while journeyman Richard Frazier works on a lock. COURTESY OF COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY Current Shop Master George Suiter engraves a silver pistol butt cap cast at the Getty foundry. Left: Three pistols made in the Williamsburg gun shop. (Top) made by Wallace Gusler in 1971, with touch-marks of Jon Laubach and Gerry Abbott, indicating it is a hand-forged barrel; (middle) an iron mounted pistol with set triggers and hand- forged barrel by Gary Brumfield; (bottom) signed by Jon Laubach and George Suiter. It is the first project George worked on in the shop, 1977. COURTESY OF COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG OF COLONIAL COURTESY RIC LAMBERT 16 A MERIC A N T RADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 A MERIC A N TRADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 17 SIX SHOP MA DE RIFLES FROM COLONI A L WILLI A MSBURG RIC LAMBERT Wallace Gusler, the “First Williamsburg Rifle.” RIC LAMBERT Jon Laubach – his personal rifle. RIC LAMBERT David Wagner – passed away in 2005. OMAR GUERRA Ed Thomas – an early apprentice and journeymen, passed away in 2009. RIC LAMBERT Gary Brumfield – the second shop Master. RIC LAMBERT George Suiter – current shop Master A hand made double barrel, swivel breech rifle. 18 A MERIC A N T RADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 A MERIC A N TRADITION • T HE JOURN A L OF T HE CON T EMPOR A RY LONGRIFLE A SSOCI at ION • J A NU A RY 2010 19 replicate technologies used in their guns for our custom orders. The individuals accurately presenting our construction. The conscious decision economic downturn of the early past, have given the world a better to take an exacting approach to nineteen-nineties hurt the market understanding of the early American gun building was made, and has for these expensive guns and in frontier. Years of dedication, hard continued to this day. The arduous 1994, after Gusler returned as master work and long hours have paid huge challenges of rediscovering the of the shop, once again commercial dividends not only to the colonial hidden past became a mission, and locks and barrels were offered as a capital community of Williamsburg, as some of the few “institutionalized less costly option.” but to the society of the Longrifle tradesmen” the Gunsmiths of The year 1968 proved to be a Culture as well.

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