Fred Irish, Master Mason
R.R. 2, Addison, Ontario, KOE1AO, Canada

A Canadian Brother has created a functioning Kentucky longrifle with elaborate Masonic embellishments as a fund-raiser for his Lodge.

The Masonic Kentucky rifle pictured on the front cover of this issue is featured courtesy of the Philalethes magazine (June 2003), and this article is extracted, with permission, from that same issue's essay "The Masonic Kentucky Rifle" by Bro. Peter A. Alexander, the "Gunsmith of Grenville County." Bro. Alexander has created a replica of the "Kentucky" rifle made in the United States from about 1750 onwards and used by such famed frontiersmen as Daniel Boone and Bro. Davy Crockett.

The "Kentucky" name originated in 1815 from a popular song, "The Hunters of Kentucky," which commemorated the Battle of New Orleans. Bro. Andrew Jackson later used it as a campaign song when he ran for the Presidency, but the American longrifle evolved much earlier and was produced in many areas from Pennsylvania southward. A more appropriate designation would be the "American longrifle." With barrel lengths ranging from 24" to 54", the American version used in the Revolution was very accurate and could be easily distinguished from its shorter European ancestor which was most often produced in Germany.

During the period from 1780 to 1840, the longrifle reached its height in elegance of construction and "American Rococo" decoration. Joe Kindig, Jr., an expert on gunsmithing, calls this the "Golden Age" of the longrifle, and Bro. Alexander has used examples from this era, specifically the work of Adam Ernst in York County during the first decades of the 19th century, to create the longrifle with elaborate Masonic embellishments. Consult the Philalethes article (June 2003), or http://freemasonry.org/rifle for more information.

Valued at $10,000, this gun is being offered only to Masons as a fund-raiser for Bro. Alexander's Lodge, Rising Sun Lodge No. 85, Athens, Ontario, and its benevolent work. Only 7,500 tickets ($5.00 USD each) will be distributed beginning July 21, 2003, and ending on December 27, 2003. To participate, write to the address at the head of this article, call 613-924-2777, or e-mail fmirish@ripnet.com.