LONGRIFLE
John Eagle (b. 1813)
1836
Rowan County, North Carolina
Iron, steel, brass, silver, and maple
LOA: 61 1/2"
Gift of Gordon Gray, Jr., Burton C. Gray, Boyden Gray, and Bernard Gray in memory of their mother Jane Craig Gray (acc. 3479.1)
The gunsmith John Eagle was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, the son of gunsmith George Eagle (b. 1783), and later moved to neighboring Cabarrus County. This rifle typifies the high quality of craftsmanship attributed to the gunsmiths who worked in the central Piedmont region of North Carolina in the nineteenth century. Its finely engraved brass and silver mounts include the artisan's signature, "made by J. Eagle" and date, "Jan. 14 1836" and an eponymous silver eagle, a popular symbol used throughout nineteenth-century America, prominently displayed on the buttstock.
