Firearm Factory of the Month: Syracuse Arms & Hollenbeck

This is the story of one man and several gun companies. A not so uncommon thread that is seen in many of these gun factory posts.

We'll start with the man behind it all:

Frank Abram Hollenbeck was born on April 30th, 1851 in Tully, New York.

In 1888 Frank Hollenbeck was already a well respected gunsmith, went to work for William Baker at the Syracuse Forging and Gun Company in Syracuse, NY.

In 1893 Hollenbeck decided to go off on his own and started the Syracuse Arms Company in Syracuse New York.
Two years later, in July of 1895 he left his gun company in the care of its investors and went to work making bicycles parts.

When the bicycle business didn't pan out he went back into the gun business by designing a gun for the newly re-organized Baltimore Arms Company in Baltimore, Maryland. This was circa 1900.

Baltimore Arms produced his design for a few years, in the mean time (circa 1901) Hollenbeck moved to Wheeling, West Virginia and secured a shop on the Wheeling Creek on the corner of 18th & Chapline streets. 

There he made side by side and three barreled guns

With slow production, low demand and a very expensive product, the Hollenbeck company fell on hard times. By 1905 they were in bankruptcy. On May 1st 1905 Hollenbeck sold his company to a James Ritz who reincorporated the company as the "Three Barrel Gun Company".
One of the employees of the Three Barrel Gun Company was one of Daniel LeFever's sons, who brought along an agreement to produce some of LeFever's designs.


Not much had changed and after three years the new company also reorganized, this time under the name "Royal Gun Company". This company was listed at 1213 Market Street in Wheeling. I don't know if this was just the office and the factory remained on 18th street or if the entire operation moved.

By May of 1910 The Royal Gun Company had closed its doors.

Although they were not officially in business, rumors are that guns would continue to be assembled and sold for several decades after the official closing of business.

Time Line:

1888: Hollenbeck goes to work for William Baker in Syracuse

1893: Hollenbeck starts Syracuse Arms Company

1895: Hollenbeck leaves Syracuse Arms to make bicycles

1900: Hollenbeck goes to work for Baltimore Arms Co.

1901: Hollenbeck moves to Wheeling WV and forms Hollenbeck Gun Co.

1905: Sells Hollenbeck Gun Co. to James Ritz

1908: Ritz reorganizes company into Royal Gun Co.

1910: Royal Gun Company goes bankrupt.

What Remains:

I did a post on the Baker Gun Company awhile back (see that post here). Here is what the Baker factory location looks like now, this is obviously a new building, the old one was torn down long ago.

I could not find an address for the Syracuse Armsthese were large operations and may have leased space in an existing factory, which was not uncommon at the time.

I did find reference to the location of the Baltimore Arms Company, on the corner of Sharp and Stockholm streets. The location borders the railroad tracks and is near the water. There are several buildings that could be the old factory.

The Google Earth satellite image shows the intersection of 18th & Chapline as having a vacant lot along Wheeling Creek. I believe this was the location of the Hollenbeck factory, as it was the early days of electricity and the town and factory may not have been energized yet, so the creek could have provided the power for the machinery.

Google Street view was an older image, showing a two story brick building on the lot, this could be the original Hollenbeck factory.

Six blocks north at 1213 Market Street

Sources:



http://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/item_desc.php?item_id=730


https://www.nationalgunforum.com/collectors-corner/3053-3-barrel-shotgun.html

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hollenbeck-488

 https://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/item_desc.php?item_id=5662