Maine's Capital Area

“Inventors and Sportsmen: Maine Gunsmiths in the 1800s” opens at the Maine State Museum in
Augusta on Saturday, April 2, 2016. It celebrates generations of Maine gunsmiths and illustrates the inventiveness, artistry, and craftsmanship that they brought to the early gun-making industry, as well as to the sports of hunting and fishing.

“Inventors and Sportsmen: Maine Gunsmiths in the 1800s” features over 75 artifacts, including guns made by 22 Maine makers. The museum will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on the exhibit’s opening day, which will also feature free museum admission, informal gallery tours by exhibition curator Laurie LaBar, and live music.

“In Maine, people are comfortable with guns, but many perhaps don’t realize that for centuries, firearms have not just been tools for recreation, provisioning and safety, but also sources of complex craftsmanship, beauty, and ingenuity,” comments Maine State Museum Director Bernard Fishman. “At the museum’s new exhibit, visitors will see an aspect of Maine’s culture that they may not have considered before, but which is sure to excite pride and inspiration.”

The 1800s represent a time of transition and innovation in the craft of gunsmithing, as it evolved from craft toward industry, and from handwork to mechanization and mass-production. Maine was at the forefront of this dramatic change through the work of John Hall, a Portland cooper turned gunsmith, whose work is featured prominently in the museum’s exhibition. In 1811, Hall set off a
revolution with his invention of a breech-loading mechanism and system of mass-production. By the 1870s, men like the Evans brothers, whose firearms are also shown in the exhibit, had adopted Hall’s mass-production system and were making over 50 large-capacity rifles every day in their Mechanic Falls plant.

With their improvements in the efficiency of manufacture, Maine’s gunsmiths changed the way America worked. Employing a remarkable number of skills and innovations, Maine’s numerous gunsmiths also helped create and sustain a culture of hunting and outdoor sports in Maine that continues to shape the state today.

“Inventors and Sportsmen: Maine Gunsmiths in the 1800s” will be open from April 2, 2016
through April 1, 2017.

Hours Tuesday – Friday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays, and all state holidays

Admission fees Adults - $2.00; Children 6 – 18 - $1.00; Children under 6 – free; Family maximum charge - $6.00; Senior citizens (62 and older) - $1.00; Charge for special tours or programs - $5.00; No admission or program charge for school groups.

PLEASE NOTE: Admission fees must be paid by cash or check only; credit cards not accepted..