Model 1816 Harpers Ferry .69 caliber musket

One of the many treasures of the Josiah Day House is our Model 1816 Harpers Ferry .69 caliber musket that is dated to 1822. 
James Clayton, a past member of the Ramapogue Historical Society, restored and researched the firearms that had been rusted over for years. He used the knowledge he had amassed from a career as a tool designer at Bausch Machine Tool – and his interest in local history – to mend the firearms and determine their origins. His research into the Model 1816 musket is summarized below:
This model was originally a flintlock, which used a flint strike to ignite the powder charge. During its heyday, over 700,000 of these muskets were manufactured by Springfield Armory, Harpers Ferry, and miscellaneous independent contractors. However, many of these models were converted to a percussion cap, which ignited when a hammer struck a brass or copper cap containing explosive powder. This method was more not as sensitive to weather as the flintlock, so it quickly rose in popularity. While the percussion cap method of ignition was invented in the early 1820s, the musket at the Josiah Day House was not converted until just prior to the Civil War. 
Besides representing a shift in engineering, this musket is also intriguing because of its place of manufacturing: Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is well-known as being the second national armory – established about 10 years after our own Springfield Armory. However, it was also the site of abolitionist John Brown’s infamous 1859 raid. Brown, who resided in Springfield from 1847 to 1851, led his raid in an attempt to arm enslaved people and ignite a revolt. However, only a few enslaved joined his revolt and many men – including him – were captured. Brown was tried and hanged for treason, yet his story sparked inspiration among abolitionists and remains infamous today.
While this firearm was manufactured long before the events of 1859, it nonetheless demonstrates how the artifacts in the Josiah Day House can be used to tell the stories of our nation’s past. One piece of our collection alone gives us a glimpse into the history of firearm engineering and the Civil War era. 
Stay tuned for more posts like these!

• Information was also pulled from the following sources:
• https://www.militaryheritage.com/musket23.htm
• https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/harpers-ferry-armory-and-arsenal.htm#:~:text=In%201796%2C%20the%20government%20purchased,scale%20production%20of%20arms%20commenced.
• https://ourpluralhistory.stcc.edu/resistingslavery/johnbrown.html#:~:text=Eventually%2C%20the%20Brown%20family%20settled,crucial%20to%20the%20abolitionist%20movement.