Kentucky’s Finest Rifle from its Western Barrens Region ©
Overview: Attractive rifles were made in Kentucky’s central Bluegrass region, with Bardstown, Lexington, Louisville, and Ohio River guns considered the finest by today’s collectors. In more remote areas of Kentucky, rifles were generally plainer. They were well-made and accurate but lacked decoration. The Barrens School in southwestern Kentucky covered more area than any other gunmaking school and was known for its good quality guns that were highly accurate [according to locals] but had little to no decoration. The school’s best-known rifles were made by the Settle family of Barren and Green Counties. They epitomized Barrens School guns with their lack of patchboxes, silver inlays, and molding lines. At best, a gun might have a small wrist inlay or capbox. Recently an exceptional Barrens School rifle from Christian County with a long county history sold at auction. The rifle was made by Harmon West of Hopkinsville and is the finest Barrens School rifle known to collectors.
Figure No.1: A full length view of the Harmon West rifle shows its long barrel, slender lines, and superb original finish on both stock and metal parts. The large brass patchbox is a great rarity in the Barrens School, as is the coin silver inlay work. The rifle exceeds all other known Barrens School rifles in its decoration. Author’s collection, photo by Jeremiah Johnson Trading Co., CT.
Harmon West: Harmon (1813-1872) and his twin brother William (1813-1880s) were born January 8, 1813, in Christian County, Kentucky, to parents William and Susanna Lacy West. The father died before the twins were born, causing them to be raised by their maternal grandparents, Benjamin and Mary Lacy of Christian County. When of age, they were apprenticed to an unknown gunsmith to learn a trade. The gunsmith must have been local because the 1830 census shows the boys back living with their mother in Christian County, well before their 21st birthday that would mark the completion of an apprenticeship. The brothers became journeymen in 1834 and from that time forward worked together both as farmers and gunsmiths in Hopkinsville, the county seat of Christian County. They lived in the same household, marrying and raising families, for their entire lives. Both men worked as gunsmiths into the 1870s. Presumably they worked in the same gun shop, but each marked his guns independently. A few early full-stocked guns are known, but a majority of their guns were half-stocked in curly maple in typical Barrens School style with a triangular butt and forestock that extended four to five inches past the rear ramrod pipe, giving the guns a slender look. Despite making plain, undecorated rifles, the brothers were known for checkering the wrists of their guns at times to add a low-cost touch of embellishment.
Harmon West’s Rifle: The rifle, shown in Figure No.1 above and Figure No.2 below, was probably made between 1845 and 1855. The barrel is signed “H. WEST” in block letters seen in Figure No.3. The rifle has survived in exceptional condition, retaining its original oxidized finish on both wood and metal with no damage or repairs of any kind. However, dating the gun requires some thought. Earlier details include a full patchbox, long 44-1/2” barrel with large .40 caliber bore, and nicely engraved silver inlays. But its back-action lock, lack of a cheekpiece, moderate height in the butt, and double keyed forestock suggest a later gun. First impressions would date it near the early 1845 end of the date range, but “date by the latest detail” nudges it toward 1855. The 1845-1855 date range seems reasonable, but the gun could be a couple years later. However, it was undoubtedly made before the Civil War, since wartime production would not have produced such an elaborate rifle.
Figure No.2: The rear of the Harmon West rifle highlights its superb, untouched, undamaged condition, the result of being a cherished Hisgen family heirloom for many years in Christian County, Kentucky. The gun’s exceptional silver work includes an oval forestock inlay, large cheek inlay, and 6-pointed flower/star inlay behind the cheek that are all well engraved. Fine silver work is almost unknown in the Barrens School. Author’s collection, photo by Jeremiah Johnson Trading Co., CT.
Figure No.3: Harmon West stamped his circa 1850 rifle in large block letters, “H. WEST.” Earlier rifles by Harmon and his brother William had engraved script signatures.
The rifle is exceptional for a Barrens School rifle due to its unexpected embellishments. It is the only known western Kentucky gun with a large four-piece, fully engraved patchbox shown in Figure No.4, and seven coin-silver inlays, four of which are engraved, in Figures No.5, 6, & 7. In the Barrens School with its many gunsmiths, full patchboxes were unheard of, silver inlays rarely used, and engraving [except for barrel signatures] seldom used. Care was also used in the West rifle’s wood selection. A well-figured piece of curly maple cut low on the tree [where trunk begins to expand outward] was used, so its grain curved smoothly with the curve through the gun’s wrist, making it exceptionally strong in an area where straight-grained stocks were prone to break if mishandled. A nicely checkered wrist, diamond-shaped comb inlay, and fancy guard complete the gun’s up-grades. It is unquestionably the finest Barrens School rifle yet discovered, made even better by its superior condition and local family history.
Figure No.4: The Harmon West rifle’s patchbox is its most outstanding feature since Barrens School rifles never [until this rifle was found] used full patchboxes. The finial’s four-petaled flower hints at a Virginia influence, but the gunsmith’s family had North Carolina roots. The box outline is not as perfect or sophisticated as those on Bluegrass rifles, yet it is fully engraved, well-made, and adds an extremely important detail to the rifle. The large coin silver moon inlay and basketweave wrist checkering are also rare details on rifles from the Barrens area. Barely visible on top the comb ahead of the butt plate extension is another diamond-shaped silver inlay. Autho’s collection, photo by Jeremiah Johnson Trading Co., CT.
Figure No. 5: The back of the butt on the “H. West” rifle is nicely decorated with three coin silver inlays. Despite lacking a cheekpiece, the butt’s back side is one of the most attractive areas of the rifle with its large “snake” inlay and smaller 6-petal flower inlay, both fully engraved. Author’s collection, photo by Jeremiah Johnson Trading Co., CT.
Figure No. 6. The cheek’s large silver inlay has an “upside-down” rattlesnake. Perhaps it carried a subtle message just before the Civil War, such as “Beware of my bite.”
Figure No.7: The “H. West” rifle has well-engraved silver forestock inlays on both sides between its double keyed forestock wedges. The attractive engraving is an “emerging leaf” scroll pattern. Engraving on any metal surfaces other than the barrel signature is rare on Barrens rifles.
Family History: The rifle was recently sold by a descendant of the original owner, Carl/Charles H. Hisgen (1842-1916) of Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky. The descendant stated the gun was handed down for generations in the Hisgen family and was once owned by C. W. Hisgen, son of Carl H. Hisgen. The gun is older than C. W. Hisgen (b.1866) and was probably first owned by his father, Carl H. Hisgen. Both the Hisgen family and the gunmaker Harmon West lived in Hopkinsville where the gun was made. The senior Hisgen was born in Lepzig (Metz in one source), Germany, in 1842. He moved with his parents to American in 1861, settling in Albany, New York, where the father, Charles L. Hisgen (1827-1917) worked as a portrait painter of some ability. Son Carl enlisted in the 43rd New York where he served as a bugler in the Civil War. After mustering out, Carl moved to Evansville, Indiana, where he married Emma Balsover in 1866. A short time later, the couple moved to Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky, where he worked as a painter (portraits and landscapes) and fresco artist (painting on fresh plaster walls so paint is absorbed into plaster, making it permanent). A gap seems to exist between when the Harmon West rifle was made and Carl Hisgen’s 1866 arrival in Hopkinsville, unless the gun dates as late as 1866 (which seems unlikely). Regardless of whether Carl was the original owner or purchased it soon after his arrival in Hopkinsville from an earlier owner, the rifle spent most of its years in the Hisgen family.
Two Rare Photographs: It is rare to find a photograph of an early Kentucky gunsmith, and perhaps even more rare to find one of a documented owner of one of his rifles. It is fitting that the finest known rifle from the Barrens School in southwestern Kentucky might have a photographic record of both its maker and its first owner. Owner Carl H. Hisgen and gunsmith Harmon West are presented below.
Figure No.8: This is a rare image of the “H. West” rifle’s original owner of record, Carl H. Hisgen, of Christian County, Kentucky. The hand-written inscription below the image reads “Carl Hugo Hisgen,” and below his name is printed “W. R. Bowles, Hopkinsville, Ky.”
Figure No.9: This slightly blurry image shows Christian County, Kentucky, gunsmith Harmon West during his working years at Hopkinsville. He appears reasonably well-to-do, supporting his reputation for having a widespread reputation as a good gunsmith.
Summary: The Harmon West rifle from Christian County, Kentucky, is the most heavily decorated Barrens School rifle known. It far surpasses the work of twin brother William West of the same county, as well as the work of the many other mid-century gunsmiths working across Kentucky’s large Barrens School. The large engraved patchbox is exceptional and to-date the only known full patchbox on a Barrens School rifle. In addition, the seven coin-silver inlays, several with good quality engraving, are another rare feature. The gun stands alone as the finest example of a Barrens School rifle yet discovered.
POST SCRIPT: Shown below is a typical Barrens School rifle by William West, twin brother of Harmon West, with good stock architecture but lacking embellishments.
William West Rifle: A half-stocked rifle by Harmon West’s twin brother, William West, is shown in Figures No. 8, 9 & 10. It is representative of most Barrens School rifles with its attractive stocking but lack of enhancements such as a capbox, inlay work or molding lines. His barrel signature in Figure No.11 is engraved in script, suggesting the rifle is earlier than the fine Harmon West rifle. It also has a front action lock and less drop in the butt that support an earlier date, perhaps 1840-1845. However, both guns use the same cast nose cap with front end tapered inward, forestock extended four to six inches past the rear ramrod pipe, rear sight set a couple inches behind the rear ramrod pipe, and a simple lock bolt washer.
Figure No.8: The front of William West’s ca. 1845 half-stocked rifle, while attractive, is typical of most Barren School rifles for its plainness. There is no inlay work, no cap- or patch-box, and no incised molding lines.
Figure No.9: The William West rifle has no cheekpiece, similar to his brother Harmon’s finer rifle made a few years later. While good stock architecture makes it an attractive rifle, it lacks decorative elements.
Figure No.10: The William West rifle has similar stock architecture through the wrist area and in the forestock. Both rifles, despite a slight age difference, have their forestock extended several inches past the rear ramrod pipe, and the rear sight set an inch or two behind the rear ramrod pipe, typical of Barrens School rifles from southwestern Kentucky. The guns also share the same cast pewter nose cap with the front end tapered inward. Barrel: 37” with .43 caliber bore and 7-groove rifling.
Figure No.11: The earlier William West rifle is signed in script, “W. West,” as most early rifles by Harmon and William West were signed. This rifle was recently acquired by the author at a small auction where no one else could read the signature. It has been lightly cleaned for this picture. Author’s collection.