The story of the Marlin Firearms Companies has to start with the man whose name the company bears.
John Malon Marlin was born on May 6th, 1836 near the town of Windsor Locks, CT.
At the age of 18, Marlin became an Apprentice Machinist at the American Machine Works, his contract ran through his 21st birthday.
In those days if a company were to train you in a trade, you have to agree to provide them with your labor for a pre-determined amount of time.
At some point he went to work for Colt's Patent Fire Arms Company in Hartford and was working there during the early years of the Civil War.
In 1863 Marlin moved to New Haven to open his own shop making pistols.
His first shop is believed to have been at # 18 Williams Street. Soon after he was listed as working out of a shop at 599 State Street, at the junction of State and Hamilton Streets.
Marlin lived and worked in New Haven until 1867 or so, according to patent paperwork filed, he was living in Hartford between 1867 and 1869. By 1870 he was back in New Haven and officially started the Marlin Fire Arms Company.
The years between 1870 and 1880 Marlin built 40,000 Ballard rifles under contract as well as 16,000 pistols of various calibers and configurations.
in 1875, Marlin purchased three & a half acres along Willow Street in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven.He built a long and narrow (228' x 40') building of brick and timber.
This followed typical construction of factory buildings as before electricity the buildings were lit by natural light, so long and narrow allowed the sun to light the factory floor from both sides.
His new factory was just 1.5 miles from rival gun maker Winchester.
It was in this building in 1880 that Marlin, along with his designers created the 1st Marlin repeater, a lever action, originally called the Marlin Repeater, the Marlin Magazine gun or simply the Marlin Rifle. The gun used features and patents by several gun designers including Andrew Burgess, H.F. Wheeler and E.A.F. Topperwien.
Here is that very first gun, serial #1
The rifle later got the moniker the model of 1881, the year it was first made available to the public.
It was during this time that Carl Gustav Swebilius came to work for Marlin as a barrel driller. He later became chief designer and went on to form his own gun company High Standard.
In 1889 the famous Marlin Cowboy/Horse logo was created. The Marlin font was designed later
A few words about the logo by Glen Fryxell:
Marlin Firearms, the very name conjures the image of a lean horseman, with a red bandana around his dusty neck and a work-worn felt hat jammed awkwardly onto his head, his chestnut mount braced at a sudden stop, and both of them are intently focused on something just out of picture. The Marlin lever gun is poised, almost at port-arms, ready to snap to the rider's bestubbled face and deal the unseen threat a leaden blow. It is a picture of a man, independent and free, taking care of himself. This image has captivated generations or American shooters and undoubtedly has helped sell countless Marlin rifles over the years. After all, it is one of the central facets of how we Americans view ourselves -- independent, free and capable.
In December of 1915 Marlin was acquired by Rockwell Manufacturing, a company mostly involved with the heavy truck market, but WWI was raging in Europe, and they wanted in on the lucrative contracts for small arms.
A year later Marlin-Rockwell purchased the assets of the Hopkins & Allen/Forehand & Wadsworth Company in Norwich, CT. This gave them expanded manufacturing capabilities.
During the Great War, Marlin-Rockwell produced more than 60,000 machine guns including an improved version of the Browning-Colt "Potato digger", the new version called the M1917 Marlin-Rockwell Machine gun.
By 1921 the company was in financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy. An auction was held in 1924 and the assets and liabilities were purchased by businessman Frank Kenna for $100.
Frank immediately went to work restructuring the company, it wasn't long before new models were being designed and produced.
In the 1930s Marlin began making razor blades, most gun companies had to find a secondary market to stay afloat during the Great Depression.
Somewhere along the line, Marlin designs there moden font and combined it with the horseman logo.
In 1968 Marlin began construction on a new state of the art, 226,000 square foot factory on 23 acres next to the freeway in North Haven. The street leading to the factory was named "Kenna Drive".
After 99 years in the same building, all production was moved to the new factory in 1969.
In November of 2000, Marlin purchased H&R 1871 Inc of Gardener, MA.
In 2007 the Kenna family sold to rival gun maker Remington
in March of 2010 it was announced that the North Haven plant would be closed, production of new rifles ended in August of that year. on March 31st 2011, the remaining employees had their last day at work. Ironically, this was five years to the day that the Winchester plant in New Haven was shuttered by it's new owners.
The Marlin name and products suffered under Remington ownership, as did Remington. Remington filed for bankruptcy and Marlin was purchased by Sturm, Ruger & Company in September of 2020.
Time Line of Events
1836 - John Marlin is born
1854 - Marlin goes into training as a machinist
1858 - Marlin goes to work at Colt
1863 - Marlin begins making pistols
1870 - Marlin Firearms is founded in New Haven
1875 - Marlin buys 3.5 acres in New Haven for a large factory
1877 - or so - Marlin moves into the new factory
1881 - Marlin makes their first lever action and their first repeater
1889 - Marlin creates their horseman/cowboy logo
1915 - Marlin is acquired by Rockwell
1916 - Marlin-Rockwell acquires Hopkins and Allen
1921 - Marlin goes bankrupt
1924 - Marlin's assets and rights purchased by Frank Kenna
1930 - Marlin begins making razor blades
1968 - Marlin builds a new factory in North Haven
1969 - The old Marlin factory in New Haven is vacated
2000 - Marlin purchases H&R 1871
2007 - Marlin acquired by Remington
2011 - Marlin North Haven plant closes
2020 - Remington goes Bankrupt
2020 - Ruger buys Marlin
What Remains
The old Marlin plant in New Haven still stands. It has been reworked into work lofts and small business spaces.
The North Haven plant is still operating, with a new owner C. Cowles and Company.
The Marlin logo endures, Ruger is keeping Marlin as a separate division and is already producing lever action rifles
Sources:
Brophy, William S. (1989) Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them (First Edition) Stackpole Books
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