An important part of Fulton history will be celebrated this weekend when collectors of guns made in a famous Fulton factory come to town to talk about, look at, and fire their antique weapons.
Hunter Arms Homecoming Weekend features a display of L. C. Smith guns, which were made in the Fulton factory, at the Pratt House Museum on South First St. Saturday and Sunday. A small admission fee will be charged.
Those whose L. C. Smith guns can still fire will be able to take part in a shooting competition at the Pathfinder Fish and Game club on Rt. 57 on Saturday.
An expert on the model of guns, Dr. James Stubbendieck of Nebraska, will use records from the factory to help gun owners track details of their guns.
The gun traces its roots to 1877 with an invention called the Baker Three-Barrel Gun. L. C. Smith bought the rights to the gun two years later and a year after that became sole owner. In 1888, Smith sold the company to John Hunter, Sr. of Fulton.
Hunter Arms Company was born.
The brand of guns was made in Fulton from 1889 until a disaster at the factory in 1949. The first floor of the plant collapsed and gun manufacturing all but stopped.
A year later, the factory closed.
The last L. C. Smith gun was made in 1971.
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