KRA Bulletin | VOLUME 42 NUMBER 3 | SPRING 2016

This Spring 2016 issue of the Kentucky Rifle Association Bulletin presents an extensive photographic and comparative study examining the master–apprentice relationships among three important Pennsylvania gunsmiths: John Bonewitz, Leonard Reedy, and Andreas Fichthorn Jr. Working primarily in the Womelsdorf region of Berks County, these craftsmen played a defining role in the development of a distinct regional school of American longrifle making during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Through a detailed photo essay, the Bulletin documents shared and divergent shop practices, carving styles, brass furniture designs, and patchbox patterns, illustrating how stylistic continuity and innovation transferred across generations. This issue serves as a foundational visual reference for identifying the Womelsdorf school and understanding how master–apprentice lineages shaped American gunmaking traditions.

Usage Note: This Bulletin is provided for the private research and educational use of Kentucky Rifle Association members. Redistribution or reproduction without written permission is prohibited.

KRA Bulletin | VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 3 | SPRING 2015

The KRA Spring 2015 issue of the Kentucky Rifle Association Bulletin features a major historical study of Colonel William Fleming, examining his life as a physician, frontier soldier, statesman, and early American leader. The article places Fleming within the broader military, political, and social landscape of the 18th‑century frontier, with particular emphasis on his service during the French and Indian War and Dunmore’s War.

The Bulletin also includes a detailed examination of Fleming’s engraved powder horn, interpreting its imagery as a reflection of post‑war culture, identity, and personal symbolism. Additional research content highlights notable Pennsylvania and Virginia firearms and accoutrements, reinforcing the Bulletin’s role as a primary research archive for early American material culture.

Usage Note: This Bulletin is provided for the private research and educational use of Kentucky Rifle Association members. Redistribution or reproduction without written permission is prohibited.

KRA Bulletin | VOLUME 40 | NUMBER 3 | SPRING 2014

Rooted in the complex history of the Cumberland frontier, this Spring 2014 Bulletin examines the riflemen and gunmakers whose lives were shaped by a region long treated as a peripheral borderland. Central to the study is the work of gunsmith Jacob Young, explored through rifles made for prominent figures such as William Waid Woodfork, William Whitley, and Gasper Mansker.

Drawing from close analysis of surviving rifles, powder horns, engraved ornamentation, and period documentation, the Bulletin situates Cumberland gunmaking within its broader cultural, geographic, and political context during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In doing so, the research challenges rigid regional classifications and presents the Cumberland as a distinct frontier world whose makers and riflemen played an essential role in the evolution of the American longrifle.

Usage Note: This Bulletin is provided for the private research and educational use of Kentucky Rifle Association members. Redistribution or reproduction without written permission is prohibited.

KRA Bulletin | VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 3 | SPRING 2013

Across the early nineteenth century Ohio frontier, few gunmaking families matched the scale, versatility, or craftsmanship of the Clarks of Lebanon. This Spring 2013 Bulletin examines the rise of the Clark family as Ohio’s most prolific early gunsmiths, tracing their apprenticeship lineage, workshop locations, and market strategies during a period of rapid western expansion.

Through detailed analysis of surviving rifles, workshop records, census data, and period correspondence, the article reconstructs the careers of James Clark and his sons, documenting their transition from flint to percussion arms and their role in supplying expanding frontier markets. The study situates Clark family rifles within the broader economic and cultural context of early American gunmaking, emphasizing quality, adaptability, and regional influence.

Usage Note: This Bulletin is provided for the private research and educational use of Kentucky Rifle Association members. Redistribution or reproduction without written permission is prohibited.