pilkguns
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Taking Larry Wilson's advice to me from Sunday, I was at the Frazier Museum in Louisville, Kentucky today. All I can say is wow, Wow WOW! Rhonda, the kids, and my parents all drove up, leaving at 5am, (and this was considering I got home from Reno at midnight) and we got up there about 9:30. Everyone enjoyed it, but really we were moving along too fast for my dad and me. Really I think it would take at least two full days to see all the exhibits and do them justice. I will plan another time soon to do just that.
On the third floor, The Tower Armory in London has loaned a incredible collection of armor, swords, knives, crossbows, weapons of all descriptions through the ages, much of them decorated with scrollwork from either engraving or acid etching. As I have said before the rules of engraving have been around for more than 1000 years and that was apparent here as well. Numerous display and descriptions of the progression of weapon technology and how this changed the ever evolving face of warfare. This is all on the third floor. Worth the trip alone.
The second floor was dedicated to the American arms industry, from the early settlers, to Thomas Jefferson, to Sam Colt, and up through today. Fantastic interactive displays, and many, many engraved guns. Nimschke, Helfricht, Young, all there and many unknowns. Many with no names, to echo what Bob Evans said in Reno, SIGN YOUR WORK, clearly, and DATE IT too, it will matter in years to come. A fantastic treasure was a gunsmith shop, in its entirety, down to the leather apron, that was closed when the man died in 1874 and remained closed and unmolested until the 1960s when it was found intact in a farm barn. What a look back in time at all the tools, ALL the tools. You could spend several hours just trying to identify everthhing. Another area worth the visit alone.
Downstairs was room dedicated to embellished guns, and there were plenty, even one presented to George Washington.
This museum is a must see for anyone interested in our art or gunsmithing. I have looked at arms and armor museums on six continents and this one certainly is as good as it gets. I have never been to the Arms museum in NY, but I cannot imagine that it could be significantly better than this one.
So in word, go!
Soon and with great frequency!
Maybe we should make a Café visiting day there?
http://www.frazierarmsmuseum.org/portal_historians.asp
On the third floor, The Tower Armory in London has loaned a incredible collection of armor, swords, knives, crossbows, weapons of all descriptions through the ages, much of them decorated with scrollwork from either engraving or acid etching. As I have said before the rules of engraving have been around for more than 1000 years and that was apparent here as well. Numerous display and descriptions of the progression of weapon technology and how this changed the ever evolving face of warfare. This is all on the third floor. Worth the trip alone.
The second floor was dedicated to the American arms industry, from the early settlers, to Thomas Jefferson, to Sam Colt, and up through today. Fantastic interactive displays, and many, many engraved guns. Nimschke, Helfricht, Young, all there and many unknowns. Many with no names, to echo what Bob Evans said in Reno, SIGN YOUR WORK, clearly, and DATE IT too, it will matter in years to come. A fantastic treasure was a gunsmith shop, in its entirety, down to the leather apron, that was closed when the man died in 1874 and remained closed and unmolested until the 1960s when it was found intact in a farm barn. What a look back in time at all the tools, ALL the tools. You could spend several hours just trying to identify everthhing. Another area worth the visit alone.
Downstairs was room dedicated to embellished guns, and there were plenty, even one presented to George Washington.
This museum is a must see for anyone interested in our art or gunsmithing. I have looked at arms and armor museums on six continents and this one certainly is as good as it gets. I have never been to the Arms museum in NY, but I cannot imagine that it could be significantly better than this one.
So in word, go!
Soon and with great frequency!
Maybe we should make a Café visiting day there?
http://www.frazierarmsmuseum.org/portal_historians.asp
