Firearm Factory of the Month: Burgess Arms

 

This story is more about Andrew Burgess than his short-lived gun company, but I will try to stay on point.

Andrew Burgess was born in Dresden New York in 1837, as a young man he apprenticed with Matthew Brady, a man known for his Civil War photographs. Brady just happened to be the Burgess' neighbor.

Burgess went with Brady to photograph the Civil War, then the execution of Maximillian in Mexico. Later they documented the Franco-Prussian War, after which Burgess decided to become a gunsmith. 

Burgess is credited with nearly 900 patents for firearms design. He is also credited for taking the photograph of Lincoln that adorns the U.S. $5 bill.

Burgess was still taking photographs while his firearms business ramped up. 

After selling patents to several companies, including Colt and Marlin, he decided to open his own company to manufacture his folding shotgun. See more on that shotgun here.

In 1892 Burgess bought or rented a 3-story building at the intersection of Military Road and Chandler Street in Buffalo, right along the railroad tracks.

While business wasn't exactly booming, Burgess and his shotgun were making waves. Winchester came along in 1899 and purchased the company, lock, stock and brand.

What remains:

I was able to find the address of the Burgess factory in a Buffalo directory from 1892.

Google Maps showed that there are two potential locations for the old Burgess factory, see the red circles below.

Many of Burgess' designs are still being used by gun manufacturers.

Sources:

Andrew Burgess - Forgotten Weapons