A southern style American longrifle was recently discovered with the name “J VANN” engraved on a silver barrel plate. A smaller silver inlay located farther out on the barrel had the Cherokee “Tree of Life” symbol engraved on it. Research has identified the gunmaker as James Vann, a late 1700s-early 1800s gunsmith and famous Cherokee Chief from the Cherokee Nation of northern Georgia.

The latest known, dated Tansel powder horn was made in Hendricks County, Indiana in 1851 by the youngest and most prolific of the Tansel horn carvers, Timothy Tansel. Timothy became ill in 1851 and died the following year, bringing an end to the production of Tansel horns. Yet his 1851 horn/horns may not be the last Tansel work. A late horn by older brother John Tansel, made as a gift for his son George, may be the last Tansel horn.

An important discovery was made in 2021 when a small “pocket sundial” of exquisite workmanship sold at a small consignment auction. It was signed on the back, “J C Landeck” in fine script, identifying it as the work of important early German clock and instrument maker, Johann Carl Landeck. No handheld “clock” was previously known by Landeck, nor was any similar pocket sundial previously known. Landeck’s work is extremely rare, and this is the story of the discovery of his rarest yet known work.

A fortunate series of events saved one of the few surviving, original Tansel powder horn & bag sets from being separated and never rejoined again. The story of this Tansel horn & bag set provides a glimpse into early southern Indiana history, as well insights into several issues faced by collectors of American carved powder horns.

Original Tansel horn & bag sets are very rare. The author has documented six original sets over the last 40-plus years, with three of them, one from Kentucky and two from Indiana, being illustrated and discussed.

An exceptional Kentucky rifle signed “L. Harmon” was recently discovered in Canada and brought back to the United States. It has many details of a Lexington School rifle, but the large, heavily pierced patchbox places it in the newly identified Clark County School. It is only the second signed rifle known from the Clark County School and has played a major role in describing and defining that school’s rifles.

The first Tansel powder horns were carved by Francis Tansel in Scott County, Kentucky, about 1800. The horns are distinctive for their simpler carved figures, shallower fish-mouth detail between the horn body and spout, and butt plugs covered with horn rings and plates. This article introduces the two earliest known Tansel powder horns.

The finest rifles made in Kentucky came from its golden age roughly 1800 to 1830. Kentucky’s Ohio River School of gunmaking produced the W. & R. Bell rifle of Bracken County, an outstanding rifle made by brothers William and Richard Bell.

America’s finest folk art powder horns were made by the Tansel family of Scott County, Kentucky, from about 1800 until 1829. This is an overview of the Tansel family powder horn tradition.

An introduction to Kentucky’s earliest known muzzle loading gunmaking schools, including an overview of the Lexington, Bardstown and Louisville schools.