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The Ingenuity of John Hancock Hall
Who was Captain John Hall?
Although no known likeness of him exists, John Hall was one of the most influential inventors and manufacturers of the early 19th century. Hall was a War of 1812 militiaman and gunsmith from Maine who contracted with the US Armory in Harpers Ferry to produce his patented breechloader rile. The weapon was revolutionary in the fact that it would be the first rifle ever developed with interchangeable parts. Hall's Rifle would also be the first regulation breechloader manufactured in significant numbers as over 20,000 patent Hall Rifles were produced at Harpers Ferry between the years 1819 and 1844.
Hall's influence goes far beyond his rifle however. He would also become the father of the American Manufacturing System that would lay the foundation for American industry and be adopted by countries all over the world. Many goods that we buy today come off an assembly line that Hall perfected at his Rifle Works along the Shenandoah River in Harpers Ferry almost two centuries ago. |