Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-07-26
HOME Liz ARSENAL.
NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN HAS
HOUSE FULL OF GUNS.
Valuable Collection Of Antique War
Relics Is Owned by a. G. Town
send-His Annual Parade in
Uniform Of 1889. h

| -
sen .id1---:Hi Annual Parade in
Uniform Of 1889. aa
Wilton. N. H.-Albert C. Townsend.
Wllton,s Fourth of July Warrior, !,
and nelghbor during the summer If
Rear Admiral Walker, boasts of the
greatest and most valuable collection
OF antique arms owned by any inli-
Nloual In New, Hampshire His ex-
hlb1t includes everything from a re.
vciver to large four-wheeled cannon.
and all but two or three are OF con-
siderable age. s II 5# .5
Gunner" Townsend, as he is fire..
quently referred to in Wilton Cen
ter village, has a hobby for anything
that is antique, and, while many
rooms IN his house, which was erect
ed considerably over a century ago,
are stacked with his ancient weapons
OF warfare, be has other collections.
including BOOKS, pictures, musical In;
struments and furniture the posses
sion OF which he can trace for many
generations. A large part Of his prop.
erty was owned by his ancestors,
while some OF it was purchased from
families in which they had been hand
ed down for nearly century.
tOf all his possessions, there are
none which Townsend brides more
than his guns. Almost all of them
are the old-fashioned fiintlocks. One
old Queen Anne musket is in an ex-
cellent state Of preservation, and is
about century and half old. The
gun is apparently as good as when
1rst used, and shoots with great accu-
racy.I rs. .-"
Every gun is kept polished and
oiled, and very frequently he tests
them at range in the rear of his
nome. The target is about 200 yards
from the stand, and through almost
daily practice Townsend has become
good shot. >'.r: f..
Townsend's hose resembles an ar
senal At each entrance there are
two muskets, fully loaded, standing
against the wall Within easy reach
OF every window in the house there
is another, and one large room is
fairly stacked With guns. In addi-
ton, there are raany revolvers, pis-
tolls, swords, sabres, knives and other
weapons lying around. Many Il of
these, as we'll as canteens, powder
horns and ammunition boxes, were
used in the revolution. IL. =.
He has several uniforms used by
the Miller guards, a Wilton military
company Of 1889. as well as few
colonial coats and caps. ~ =.
on the Fourth Of July Townsend
makes his appearance on the sereet
in the full uniform of Miller guard,
armed with nlusket. The old man
finds no greater sport than firing ma
tional salutes all day on his can
non
Townsend''s house was erected by
John Harrington in 1890, after return
ing from the revolutionary war. In
1903 he sold it to John Lovett, who
owned it but few years, and then
1t became the property of the Town
send family. The lumber used in the
construction was all hand hewn. All
the windows are furnished with slid
ing shutters, and the olapbcaris,
which were hand split, shaved and
Tapped, are as good as new.
Townsend lives alone. He cooks
his own meals, and says he is con-
tented.
Townsend was born in the same
house &c years age. On both his ia.
theirs and mothers side his ances-
try fought in the revolution, the war
of 1872 and the French and Indian
wars. When President Lincoln called
for men Townsend wanted to enlist,
but as he was the only son, of
widowed mother, and her only sup
port, he remained at home and
worked on the farm. His military
enthusiasm was again dampened in
1898, when he wanted to enlist for
the Spanish-American war, but was
too old, and was, therefore, rejected.