Hershel House passed on Jan/10/24

**4V50 Gary** · January 12, 2024, 09:57 AM

Well loved Kentucky gunmaker Hershel House passed away on Jan 10.

Hershel was largely self taught and studied longrifles of all makes but his favorite was the iron mounted Southern rifle. He took it to another level and added engraving, dual patchboxes and other embellishments (depending on what the customer wanted). Besides teaching his brothers Frank and John, he was a regular instructor at the NMLRA Summer Gunbuilder's Workshop hosted by Western Kentucky University at Bowling Green. His class though was taught at his home where you got your own forge and anvil to hammer out your trigger guard and buttplate. Hundreds of students learned from him and built their own rifles (or started them). Sometimes he was assisted by his brothers and sometimes he taught alone. They were always well attended and Hershel also fed his students dinner. There was always a big get together near the end of the class for all students whether they were enrolled in his course or another workshop (typically lockmaking, relief carving, engraving, building one type of rifle or another, brass casting, quillwork taught by Lally House, horn making). That get together featured a BBQ prepared by the House family and by the ladies of the area. It was the shindig to attend.

I took Hershel's class over a decade ago and it was my first experience in forging iron mounts. He also taught me to pour a pewter nose on my rifle (later repeated at Trinidad College) and asked me to write an article about his class which I did (published in the NMLRA magazine Muzzle Blasts). He enjoyed my books (sharpshooting and sniping) and once had an extensive library that was lost when his workshop burned. He rebuilt the workshop (actually two adjoining log cabins that shared a breezeway) and his library. Hershel played the role of a hillbilly but was actually sophisticated and had a huge knowledge basis to draw from. Additionally he had many antique tools that he had collected along the way. He is survived by his daughter, his brothers John and Frank and his sister-in-laws and his beloved pack o' dogs. I don't think he named his last dogs but called them by their color.

https://www.smithfuneralhomeky.com/o.../Hershel-House

HiBC · January 12, 2024, 02:05 PM

RIP,Hershel

Something between 40 or 50 years ago I was working with a machinist who was also a Buckskinner and Riflemaker. His business card handle was "The Flintlocker" out of Cheyenne.
He inspired me to build a muzzle loader and he mentored me through it.

He suggested the Foxfire book that featured Hershel building a Poor Boy rifle.

I built the rifle. A 36. Siler lock kit and a Douglas barrel. It shot good.

I just gifted vol 1 thru 6 of the Foxfire books to my Daughter's family,including the Grandkids. I was thinking of Hershel when I ordered the books.

I believe passing the knowledge on to the younger folks is a lot of what he was about.

I guess I'll start scrounging makings for a rifle or two .

January 12, 2024, 09:57 AM	#1
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,848	Hershel House passed on Jan/10/24 Well loved Kentucky gunmaker Hershel House passed away on Jan 10. Hershel was largely self taught and studied longrifles of all makes but his favorite was the iron mounted Southern rifle. He took it to another level and added engraving, dual patchboxes and other embellishments (depending on what the customer wanted). Besides teaching his brothers Frank and John, he was a regular instructor at the NMLRA Summer Gunbuilder's Workshop hosted by Western Kentucky University at Bowling Green. His class though was taught at his home where you got your own forge and anvil to hammer out your trigger guard and buttplate. Hundreds of students learned from him and built their own rifles (or started them). Sometimes he was assisted by his brothers and sometimes he taught alone. They were always well attended and Hershel also fed his students dinner. There was always a big get together near the end of the class for all students whether they were enrolled in his course or another workshop (typically lockmaking, relief carving, engraving, building one type of rifle or another, brass casting, quillwork taught by Lally House, horn making). That get together featured a BBQ prepared by the House family and by the ladies of the area. It was the shindig to attend. I took Hershel's class over a decade ago and it was my first experience in forging iron mounts. He also taught me to pour a pewter nose on my rifle (later repeated at Trinidad College) and asked me to write an article about his class which I did (published in the NMLRA magazine Muzzle Blasts). He enjoyed my books (sharpshooting and sniping) and once had an extensive library that was lost when his workshop burned. He rebuilt the workshop (actually two adjoining log cabins that shared a breezeway) and his library. Hershel played the role of a hillbilly but was actually sophisticated and had a huge knowledge basis to draw from. Additionally he had many antique tools that he had collected along the way. He is survived by his daughter, his brothers John and Frank and his sister-in-laws and his beloved pack o' dogs. I don't think he named his last dogs but called them by their color. https://www.smithfuneralhomeky.com/o.../Hershel-House __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

January 12, 2024, 02:05 PM	#2
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,289	RIP,Hershel Something between 40 or 50 years ago I was working with a machinist who was also a Buckskinner and Riflemaker. His business card handle was "The Flintlocker" out of Cheyenne. He inspired me to build a muzzle loader and he mentored me through it. He suggested the Foxfire book that featured Hershel building a Poor Boy rifle. I built the rifle. A 36. Siler lock kit and a Douglas barrel. It shot good. I just gifted vol 1 thru 6 of the Foxfire books to my Daughter's family,including the Grandkids. I was thinking of Hershel when I ordered the books. I believe passing the knowledge on to the younger folks is a lot of what he was about. I guess I'll start scrounging makings for a rifle or two .