Firearm Factory of the Month: Quackenbush

The story of the Quackenbush .22 "Boys Rifle" starts with a man by the name of Henry Marcus Quackenbush.
Quackenbush was born in Herkimer, New York in 1847. At the young age of 14 he started an apprenticeship at Remington in Ilion, about 3 miles from home.

Quackenbush spent the Civil War working at Remington learning the trade of metal working and gun making. In 1871 he took the money he made from an extension ladder that he invented (and produced for a short time before selling the patent) and started his own company.
In 1871 Quackenbush started the H.M Quackenbush Company in his home town of Herkimer New York. Three years later he constructed a large brick factory on North Prospect Street.

In 1886 Quackenbush patented a .22 rimfire "boys rifle", which he began producing in 1893.

The single shot take-down rifle was designed to be very affordable and competed with similar guns from Hamilton, Iver Johnson, Stevens, Remington and Winchester.

 They also produced a "bicycle rifle"

Quackenbush invented and produced many products over the years including bicycles, a foot powered wood lathe, the scroll saw, the extension ladder, the nut cracker and picks, 3 different .22 rifles, various air rifles and pistols, ammunition for air guns, the BB lead shot for air rifles, felted slugs, a Kaleidoscope, coat hangers, stair carpet rods and desk racks. In addition he invented many of tools and machinery needed to make his inventions.

His factory was built on North Prospect Street and had several additions over the years.

The old Quakenbush factory still stands at 220 North Prospect Street in Herkimer, NY 13350-1909

Circa 1920 Quackenbush discontinued production of the .22 rifles.
in 1933 Henry Quackenbush died at the age of 86. His family incorporated the business as H.M. Quackenbush inc and continued operations. During WWII they fulfilled several contracts for the U.S. Government and continued operations in various buildings in Herkimer until 2005 when they closed their doors and sold their assets to Whyco Finishing Technologies in Connecticut.

Sources
Wikipedia
Quackenbush
Abandoned Places
Jimmy Dees' Airguns