This day in history: Oliver Winchester formed the New Haven Arms Company on this day [April 25] in 1857. The New Haven Arms Company would later be reorganized as the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
"In early 1857, businessman Oliver Winchester bought a controlling interest in a struggling Connecticut firearms company from two inventors by the name of Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson (who would soon move to Massachusetts to found a second and successful eponymous firearms venture of their own). With access to machine tools, raw materials, and a number of valuable patents — including rights to Henry repeating rifle, the world’s first practical repeating rifle — Winchester reorganized his assets to form the New Haven Arms Company on April 25, 1857. Repeating rifles marked a huge advance in 19th century firearms technology. The Henry repeating rifle could fire several rounds following a single ammunition reload — a huge improvement over single-shot muzzle-loading and breech-loading rifles which required reloading after every shot taken." Source
Oliver Winchester's son William Wirt Winchester became the treasurer of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, a position he held until his death in 1881. His widow, Sarah Winchester, built what came to be the Winchester Mystery House, a mansion in San Jose CA. The Queen Anne Style Victorian mansion is renowned for its size, its architectural curiosities, and its lack of any master building plan.
Many claim the house to be haunted by the victims of the Winchester rifle.
No comments:
Post a Comment