Gun Factory of the Month: R. & J.D Johnson Arms

 In 1812 the United States was back at war with Britian, the Red Coats were not done messing with the colonies and came back for another beating.

As war often does it led to contracts for rifles to be made. Two brothers Robert and John David Johnson answered the call and built a gun mill along the banks of the Pameacha Creek in Middletown, CT. As many of you probably know, before electricity mills had  to have a steam engine or a good flowing stream or river to power their machines. Often creeks were dammed up to create better flow.

Pameacha Creek had some head pressure as it was dammed up into a mill pond just upstream from their new gun mill. 

Pameacha Creek broke into two branches and eventually flowed into the Connecticut River.

One of their main rifles was the pattern of 1817 Hall rifle, designed and built at Harper's Ferry Arsenal.

25-30 workers were employed at the gun mill which produced 1,000 to 1,200 rifles per year.

Below is a model of 1817 rifle built by R. & J.D. Johnson in 1826

The location of the mill is hard to spot exactly, it was torn down years ago, but thanks to historical articles we can assume it was along Pameacha Creek (now called Long Hill Brook) near Mill Street.