On Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Clarence Craigo will discuss “Flintlock Rifles of West Virginia” in the Archives and History Library of the Culture Center in Charleston. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The history of the rifle in West Virginia is multifaceted; metallurgy, gunsmith styles, and techniques along with the use of these weapons have combined to create a truly beautiful weapon and tool unique to Appalachia. Clarence Craigo, an internationally known gunsmith, will discuss the materials used to create the rifles, along with the techniques, styles, and tools that the early gunsmiths used and that continue to influence modern-day gunsmithing.
Craigo is a true “Son of the Hills.” Born at Ward, West Virginia, he attended school in Kanawha County and spent 15 years working in the coal mines. Early on, his father influenced his love of history by visiting many of the historical sites in the state. These visits along with his father’s stories about Daniel Boone in the Kanawha Valley sparked a love affair with colonial history that continues to this day. Since the early 1980s, Craigo has been an active gunsmith, blacksmith, and maker of accouterments for re-enactors of the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars and for fine rifle collectors worldwide. In 2000, he appeared on a show in the West Virginia Public Broadcasting series Outlook that highlighted West Virginia gunsmiths, and in 2012, he was a weapons expert for the History Channel’s Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. Presently Craigo works at the West Virginia Division of Culture and History where he enjoys the opportunity to examine original long rifles, documents and related objects.
On September 1, the library will close at 5:00 p.m. and reopen at 5:45 p.m. for participants only. For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
