Piedmont North Carolina Banded Powder Horns

Over the last 50 years there have been two books and a number of articles written about the men that made Longrifles in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina. The rifles signed by these makers and the research and scholarship of people like the late John Bivins and Jack Perdue have enabled us to learn helpful information about these gun makers, when they worked, where they worked, and who they worked with. Over this period we have also come to identify a type of Powder Horn that was unique to the Piedmont area of North Carolina and the Southern Backcountry. In this article, I will attempt to describe the features that we associate with local Powder Horns and show some photos of known examples. What we do not know at this time is who made these horns, where they were made, how many people were making them, and over what period they were being made. In studying census records or census of manufacturing records from 1800 to 1850, I have yet to find anyone listed in the Piedmont as a Powder Horn or Hunting Bag maker. Piedmont N.C. Style Powder Horns have been found in Alamance, Guilford, Randolph, Chatham, Moore, Davidson, Forsyth, Rockingham, and Rowan Counties. Many have been found with local rifles. The Powder Horns have been found in enough quantities and with a number of different architectural features that it is evident that more than one person was making them. In the counties listed above, there were six different Longrifle Schools. 1. Bear Creek School in Moore & Chatham Counties; 2. Early Deep River School in Randolph, Alamance & Guilford Counties; 3. Jamestown School in Guilford County; 4. Salem School in Forsyth County; 5. Davidson School in Davidson County; 6. Rowan School in Rowan County. It is possible that there were Powder Horn Makers in each school.