Marietta hosts Ohio Long Rifle Exhibit | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Madeline Scarborough
Sherry Wittekind admires the guns on display at Bob Pochs’ booth at the Association of Ohio Long Rifle Collectors 46th annual Ohio Long Rifle Exhibit.

MARIETTA — Saturday the Lafayette Hotel hosted the Association of Ohio Long Rifle Collectors for their 46th annual Ohio Long Rifle Exhibit.

There were well over 100 Ohio-made muzzle-loading rifles exhibited by private collectors, including plain working rifles as well as fancy brass, silver and ivory inlayed rifles. The rifles all hold a historic value to Ohio.

“The purpose of the exhibit is to provide education to the public about muzzle-loading rifles, their purpose, historical value and the gunsmiths who made them,” said Bill Reynolds, a member of the AOLRC and a historian with the Campus Martius Museum in Marietta.

Carroll Shoemaker, of Millwood, brought guns made by Samuel Stull.

“Samuel Stull was a farmer and gunsmith, who began making rifles reportedly at the age of 12,” according to provided information provided by Shoemaker. “Someone gave him a rifle barrel that was split, he took it to a blacksmithand had it re-welded and then proceeded to make himself a stock to fit and thus the first Samuel Stull rifle was made.”

His early mark was “S. Stull” in script. His later guns were stamped in block letters “S. STULL” with the word “Ohio” either after his name or directly under it, making two lines.

“I have observed rifles signed both ways,” reported F.G. Tilton with the Association of Ohio Long Rifle Collectors. “An unusual Stull fulstock rifle is known marked ‘S. Stull, Millwood. Knox Co. Ohio, Feb. 28th, 1852’. The unusual feature is the Bedford Co. patchbox inletted backwards in relation to true Bedford Co. rifles. It also has incised carving and engraving which Sam didn’t bother with as a rule.”

Tilton wrote in his findings that two other Stull rifles with Bedford Co. patchboxes have surfaced recently. One has incise carving.

“He was reportedly a natural mechanic and possessed an ability to concieve, design and make almost any tool or devise he disired,” according to Tilton. “I have personal knowledge of a quantity of his hand tools, which show a flair for ingenuity. One in particular is an apparatus, operated by hand that mills both sides of a tumbler at the same time, insuring a flat smooth surface that fits between the lockplate and the bridle plate.”

Early Stull rifles were flintlock. He made both fullstock and halfstock varieties and used curly maple almost invariably. Several of his early and late rifles had hand made locks.

Stull spent his entire life on a farm located about one and three quarters of a mile south of Millwood, Knox Co. Ohio. Reportedly he used to walk to Canton and purchase barrel blanks which he carried home on his back. He then drilled and rifled them and made them up into rifles. He likely farmed in the summer and then turned to the gunsmith trade during the winter months.

Bob Poch, a gun collector, also provided different pieces for the public to enjoy.

Poch said he started shooting muzzle loaders in high school then became both fascinated and amazed with antique handmade guns.

“It’s like folk art… each rifle is decorated beautifully like a work of art,” he said.

Other than rifles, there were many powder horns or powder flasks, bullet molds and hunting pouches.