Firearm Factory of the Month: Baker Gun & Forging Co.

In order to tell the story of the Baker Gun & Forging Company we have to go back before the company was formed and talk about the namesake of the company and the operation that existed before Baker's name was put on it.

As with many of these stories of gun makers it includes names of other gun makers. You have to understand that in the mid-late 1800's the population of New England was not as large as it is today and there were gun makers in almost every city, which made the chances of "cross-pollination" inevitable.

We'll start with Mr. Baker. William H. Baker was born on Christmas Day in upstate New York in 1835. At the age of 24 he hung out his shingle as a gunsmith in Greene NY.

Readers should not confuse this William H. Baker born in 1835 with another William H. Baker who was also born in upstate NY in 1827 and later became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Nor should they confuse this Baker with another gunsmith who made rifles and shotguns: Ezekiel Baker of London, who died in 1836.

Throughout the 1860's and 1870's our William Baker applied for and received several patents for shotgun designs. In 1863 he began making shotguns and three barreled guns along with a man named Lewis Smith in the town of Marathon, NY.

In 1874 Baker and Smith moved operations to Lisle, NY under the name W.H. Baker. Smith's two sons Leroy and Lyman (L.C.) joined the organization and were taught the gun business.

In 1877, with the financial backing of Leroy & L.C. Smith he started a new company: W.H. Baker & Co in Syracuse, NY.  

In 1880, Baker left to start another venture, his old company was purchased by Lyman renamed the L.C. Smith Shotgun Co.


The original factory at 20 Walton Street in Syracuse no longer stands....as far as I can tell the address doesn't exist today because of a restructuring of the addresses or Walton street was cut off at Clinton street at some point. The whole area is now called Armory Square, a reference to the Jefferson Street Armory which was just a couple of blocks from where the WH Baker factory stood. The first Armory was built in 1859 and was probably the reason for Baker & the Smith brothers to set up shop in this neighborhood.

 In 1880 Baker along with Leroy Smith, Jon Vanatta & Dwight McIntyre formed a gun company in Ithaca NY, this company would later become the Ithaca Gun Company. After four years Baker decided to leave the partnership and moved back to Syracuse to work with his brother Dr. Ellis L. Baker who formed the Syracuse Forging Company to make forged components for wagons and other parts.
They soon changed the name to Syracuse Gun and Forging Company and began making a shotgun designed by A.C. McFarland. The gun was aptly named the "New Baker"

The Syracuse Forging and Gun Company was located at 32 Basin Street. That address no longer exists, probably due to the building of Interstate 81 in the 1950s or 60s.

In 1888 a devastating fire destroyed the building and ended production. Not willing to give up, the Baker brothers moved their operation 113 miles west to Bativa NY and built a new factory next the railroad tracks on Liberty Street.
During all this time William Baker was suffering from Tuberculosis and became unable to manage the company. A man by the name of Frank Hollenbeck (who later went on to start his own gun business in WV) was brought in to supervise the manufacturing.
On October 10th, 1889 William Baker dies from TB, he was just two months short of his 54th birthday.
In 1890 the company was renamed the Baker Gun & Forging Company.

The company remained in operation until 1919 when the gun making portion of the business was sold to H. & D. Folsom.
H.  D. Folsom moved the gun parts and equipment to Norwich, Connecticut. The guns being made by Folsom were marked "Baker Gun Company" and continued in production until 1930 when production of the Baker guns and use of the name ended.
About 150,000 Baker guns were made prior to the 1919 sale to H. & D. Folsom, making them a prize when found.

The Baker Gun and Forging Company factory sat on the corner of Liberty & School Streets next to the rail road tracks.....making it easy to find its former location.

This is the School street corner, the factory is behind and to the left of this building

An early picture of the main factory building

The Baker Gun & Forging Company crew

The factory floor

   
The addresses used on marketing over the years were 42 Liberty St, 47 Liberty St and 69 Liberty Street.


Here is the site today, Liberty street is at the bottom, School street to the right, rail road tracks to the left
 

  

a before shot of the same corner

 
We know that the gun portion of the business was sold off to H.D. Folsom in 1919, we assume the forging business forged on (pardon the pun...). Well next to where the Baker Gun and Forging Co factory once sat is Strong Forge and Fabrication, which according to its website was started in 1923. Could this business be a continuation of the old Baker Forging Co?

Here is a time line of events:

1835: William H. Baker is born on Christmas Day

1859: Baker opens his first gunsmith shop

1874: Baker goes into business making three barreled guns in Lisle, NY

1877: W.H. Baker & Co. opens business in Syracuse

1880: Baker leaves the company named for him, selling his shares to L.C. Smith

1883-1886: Baker along with 3 others create a gun company in Ithaca New York, the company would become the Ithaca Gun Co.

1887: Baker leaves the Ithaca Gun Company and begins working at his Brother's forge in Syracuse, they soon rename the company Syracuse Forging and Gun Co.

1888: A fire destroys the Basin street factory, the brothers relocate to a new factory on Liberty Street in Bativa, NY

1889: Frank Hollenbeck hired as production manager

1889: W.H. Baker dies from Tuberculosis

1890: Syracuse Forging & Gun Company is renamed Baker Gun and Forging Co.

1919: Bakers Gun & Forging sold to H. & D. Folsom, operations are moved to Norwich, CT

1930: Production of the Baker guns and the use of the baker name ends.

 

 Credits
Baker Collectors
Picture Trail
Strong Forge
Iroquois Arms Collectors Association