Historic Rifle Donated to Sheridan Museum
Sheridan Historical Society Museum Executive Director Jim Pickett (left), Society President Ron Stone (center) and Marilyn Bell pose with Bell’s Samuel Beck rifle.
Sheridan resident Marilyn Bell has had an old rifle in her family for years, a rifle she believed may have been a relic of the Civil War. Rather than discard it, she decided to donate it to the Sheridan Historical Society, which has a small collection of Civil War era gun memorabilia. The museum welcomed this addition to the collection and, as it turns out, the rifle is a pre-Civil War 38 caliber hunting rifle.
When Marilyn brought the rifle to the museum, it was in several pieces and there were parts missing; a restoration gunsmith was contacted to restore the rifle. Retired local educator Joe Rushton worked with Noblesville gunsmith John Schippens to put the rifle together.
As luck would have it, the gunsmith had several parts for this type of rifle in his shop. He was also able to locate the additional pieces he needed without too much difficulty and the rifle was fully restored within a few months, recently returning to the museum.
Bell had not seen the rifle since she initially brought into the museum, and she was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the result of the restoration.
The top rib of the rifle barrel is stamped with the name “S. BECK.” Samuel Beck was a prominent gunsmith in Indianapolis in the mid to late 19th century, at a time when skilled gunsmiths were valuable members of their community. Beck was held in high regard by his community, and his guns were worthy of that regard. While it is impossible to know for sure if the gun was used in the Civil War, it was more likely used locally for hunting smaller game.
If you would like to know more about Samuel Beck, use your favorite search engine to research his name. He and his family have extensive Indiana and Indianapolis history. If you would like to see the restored rifle, visit the Sheridan Historical Society Museum at 315 South Main St. in uptown Sheridan. The museum is open to the public on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. and, beginning in January, the second and fourth Saturday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. They are also open by appointment if you call (317) 758-5054) prior to visiting to make arrangements.