Knife History Archives

The Sea of Mud Knife: James Bowie’s Knife Found? Pt. 2

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May 11, 2018

The Sea of Mud Knife: James Bowie’s Knife Found? Pt. 2

James Black’s original blacksmith shop was located on Franklin Street, one block northeast of the town square in Washington, Hempstead County of the Arkansas Territory. According to the author, Black made the Sea of Mud Knife. Click image for a larger view. (relic image courtesy of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Libraries)

Editor’s note: Read the first part of this series about the “Sea of Mud Knife” here.

“Only Men of Means Could Own One”

To acquire a James Black silver-mounted coffin-handle knife similar to how the Sea of Mud Knife originally appeared, you would have had to visit Black’s shop circa 1830 or so. The price would have been high—more than $20, which would be at least 500 in today’s dollars. Only men of means could own one.

There are indications Black made knives that were less ostentatious for the common man. These were tools and as tools were worn out and discarded. Few have survived.

The Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation built a recreation of James Black’s blacksmithing shop in Washington, Arkansas, in 1960.

Black’s shop was located on Franklin Street, one block northeast of the town square in Washington, Hempstead County of the Arkansas Territory. Black had apprenticed for Stephen Henderson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for at least nine years. Henderson learned the art and craft of making Sheffield silver plate in Sheffield, the cutlery center of England.

He could clad silver sheet to the ricasso area of the blade.

Black had set up his blacksmith shop on his town lot in 1829 after he married Anne Shaw. Black had worked in William Shaw’s shop doing general blacksmithing for five to six years. Black made knives of cast steel, the best steel known at the time from Sheffield. He knew how to heat treat to get the best cutting edge. Back then, most crossroads blacksmiths made knives of inferior steel with hardly any heat-treating expertise. Some were even made of wrought iron. Black’s knives became known for their edge holding, craftsmanship and beauty.

A cat keeps vigil on the rock pedestal that marks the original 1829-1832 location of Black’s shop (right). The iron plaque on the pedestal gives one version of how the original bowie knife was made. There are other versions, too.

The Southwest Trail

The frontier town of Washington is located on a sand hill in southwest Arkansas on the Southwest Trail. The Southwest Trail, or the Military Road, led from St. Louis, Missouri, diagonally across Arkansas through Washington to Fulton on the Red River. It was only 12 miles from Washington to Fulton. Across the Red River is Texas. In Texas, Trammel’s Trace led to Nacogdoches and to El Camino Royal—and to San Antonio de Bexar and the Alamo.

The Southwest Trail was the major land route from the Northern United States to Texas. You left Washington, D.C., by the National Road to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and boarded a steamboat to the Falls of the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky. You crossed the river to New Albany, Indiana, and took a stagecoach to East St. Louis, and crossed the Mississippi River to the Southwest Trail. You could also go by steamboat down the Mississippi River and up the Arkansas River to Little Rock and down the Southwest Trail.

Three other roads intersected at Washington. The road due west led to Fort Towson in the Indian Territory above the Red River and the ferry crossing into Jonesboro, Texas. A road led due east past Nick Trammel’s Tavern through Camden to Gaines Landing on the Mississippi River in Chicot County, Arkansas. Trammel’s Trace, the route in Texas to Nacogdoches, originated at Trammel’s Place and crossed the Red River at Dooley’s Ferry below Fulton. The other trail led south to Natchitoches, Louisiana, and to Texas.

From 1832 to 1834 most of the Choctaw Nation was removed from Mississippi and Alabama down the Southwest Trail from Little Rock, or from Gaines Landing across the Mississippi River from the Choctaw Trail, which intersected the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. From Washington they proceeded down the Fort Towson Road to Doaksville, Oklahoma, one mile west of Fort Towson.

Black’s Shop Visitors

Two struggling young lawyers from Logan County Kentucky who died at the Alamo, Daniel William Cloud, 21, and Peter James Bailey III, 26, passed by Black’s Shop in the fall of 1835 on their way to Texas. Could they have bought the Sea of Mud knife from Black? They had headed to Illinois where they heard there were more clients.

However, they found the weather too cold, the fees too low, and the “Yankee Lawyers” too active. They went down the Southwest Trail in Missouri and found the same thing. So they went further south through Arkansas to the Red River. From there they took the road to Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The sign outside the recreation of James Black’s blacksmith shop carries the year 1961. According to at least one other source, the recreation was built in 1960.

On Dec. 29, 1835, near Natchitoches, Cloud wrote his brother a letter describing his trip to Texas:

“We found Arkansas Territory in some places rich, well watered and healthy and society tolerably good, but the great body of the country is stony, sandy, and mountainous, in passing through, we traveled ten days constantly in crossing the mountains.

“On Red River the lands were immensely rich, and planters also, many of them worth two and three hundred thousand dollars. Had we chosen to locate in Arkansas, we could have made money rapidly if blessed with health and life; dockets and fees being large.

“The reason for our pushing still further on must now be told, and as it is a master one, it will suffice without the mention of any other one. Ever since Texas has unfurled the Banner of Freedom, and commenced warfare of liberty or death, our hearts have been enlisted in her behalf. The progress of her cause has increased the ardor of our feeling until we have resolved to embark in the vessel which contains the Flag of Liberty and sink or swim in its defense.”

An Englishman, George William Featherstonhaugh (pronounced “Fenshawe”) came down the Southwest Trail through Washington in late November or early December 1834.

He writes in his journal, Excursions Through the Slave States of North America:

“And we made an agreeable excursion in the neighborhood, calling for a short time at the little insignificant wooden village of Washington, where the government land sales were holding.

“I was not desirous of remaining long at this place. General Houston was here, leading a mysterious sort of life, shut up in a small tavern, seeing nobody by day and sitting up all night … There were many persons at this time in the village from the states lying adjacent to the Mississippi, under the pretense of purchasing government land, but whose real object was to encourage the settlers in Texas to throw off their allegiance to the Mexican government.”

Sam Houston was back from his peacemaking journey among the Texas Indians. He was staying at Elijah Stuart’s Tavern that was next to Black’s shop on one side and the town square on the other.

Plantation Bound

“It was a charming sunny day, the thermometer (Dec 11) stood at 74 degrees out of doors, and not a cloud in the sky,” Featherstonhaugh wrote.

The Englishman crossed the Red River at Dooley’s Ferry into what the ferryman called “Spain.” After three or four miles, Featherstonhaugh came upon a dry and black land called Lost Prairie, “a tract of about 2,000 acres of incredible beauty and fertility, bearing extraordinary crops of cotton, and gracefully surrounded by picturesque woods.”

After James Black (believed to be at left in the above vintage daguerreotype) lost his eyesight, Dr. Isaac Newton Jones tried to restore it circa 1840. Around the same time, Black went to live with Judge Jacob Buzzard (believed to be at right) on Buzzard Bluff southeast of Dr. Jones’ plantation.

He rode to Dr. Isaac Newton Jones’ plantation and spent the night. After a short stay exploring this area of Texas, Featherstonhaugh returned to Little Rock upon his steed, Missouri, loaded down with bundles of Texas treasures. He then went to New Orleans by steamboat.

The Jones plantation is located about 3.5 miles south of Fulton in Miller County, Arkansas. In 1835, Lost Prairie was in the Texas province of Mexico but was also claimed as part of the Arkansas Territory. Arkansas Gov. Daniel Webster Jones was born on the plantation on Dec. 15, 1839.
Southeast of the Jones plantation is Buzzard Bluff, home of Judge Jacob Buzzard. In about 1840 after James Black had lost his eyesight, Black lived with Jacob Buzzard on Buzzard Bluff. Buzzard died in 1842.

Meanwhile, try as he might, Dr. Isaac Newton Jones could not restore Black’s eyesight. However, he took Black into his home and cared for him.

After Jones died in 1858, his wife and the Jones’s son, Daniel Webster Jones, cared for Black until Black’s death in 1872. Daniel penned the definitive story of Black’s life in 1902. In that story he wrote: “About 1833 or 1834, perhaps earlier, James Bowie came to Washington and gave Black an order for a knife …”

Read part three of this series here.

Keep Learning About Knife History

Abraham Lincoln’s $100,000 Pocketknife

Knife History

BLADE Staff

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August 6, 2018

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Editor’s note: A long-time vintage knife enthusiast originally from England, Jim Taylor wrote a number of stories on antique knives for BLADE®, including this one on a knife that belonged to Abraham Lincoln and fetched almost $100,000 at auction in 1989. Help us celebrate BLADE’s 45th anniversary with his story from the July/August 1989 issue.

by Jim Taylor

The hammer fell. The auctioneer at Sotheby’s January 1989 auction in New York couldn’t get another cent. The buyer, an anonymous American collector, had bought a 4.25-inch pearl-handled pocketknife.

The facts reported above are true. The sums of money mentioned are certifiable. Add the 10 percent buyer’s premium and the knife’s new owner got back $175 change out of 100 grand! Yep, the net price was $99,825.

The knife in question was not one you’re likely to find on a dealer’s table. This one was special!

An “Historic” Knife for President Lincoln

On June 16, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln spoke at the Great Central Fair in Philadelphia. To mark the occasion, prominent Philadelphians presented him with what Sotheby’s catalog described as an “historic mother of pearl presentation ‘American Army’ multi-bladed pocketknife of slightly serpentine outline. Paneled with mother of pearl and inlaid with a gold plaque engraved ‘Abraham Lincoln,’ the pocketknife is fitted with polished steel scissors, nail file and five various blades, two of which are damascened (decorated with inlaid patterns of gold or silver) with foliated inscriptions.”

Accompanying the historic knife is the original presentation box, made of fitted oak and lined with velvet and satin. The inscription inside the lid states that the wood and iron used in the box’s construction came from the “Old Liberty Bell.” The lid is inlaid on the outside with a spread-winged eagle surrounded by 13 stars. The sale also included a handwritten letter of thanks from Lincoln. The letter, dated Oct. 17, 1864, states:

“I have received at the hands of the Hon. Wm. D. Kelley a very beautiful and ingeniously constructed pocketknife accompanied by your kind letter of presentation. The gift is gratefully accepted and will be highly valued, not only as an extremely creditable specimen of American workmanship, but as a manifestation of your regard and esteem which I most cordially appreciate.

Your ob’t serv,t
A. Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln auction knife — Abraham Lincoln lived at a time when knives were carried by most everyone on a daily basis—not only as a convenient tool but because, quite simply, knives were indispensable for a wide variety of tasks and personal needs. And, back then at least, Lincoln apparently was no different than anyone else.

The inscription on the clip blade reads, “LIBERTY, July 4th, 1776. Abraham Lincoln, Jan. 1st, 1863 EQUALITY.” The blades all carry the tang stamps “J. Ward & Co., Bronxville, New York.” It also is apparent from the photograph—kindly supplied by Sotheby’s—that various implements are fitted behind the pearl handle, such as a tweezers, pick and more.

Ward originally made the knife to the order of Albert B. Justice, a Philadelphia hardware merchant. Justice presented the knife to the fair’s board of directors, of which he was a member. He then solicited some 130 wealthy Philadelphians to endorse its subsequent presentation to the president. When presented, the knife was accompanied by a document containing the 130 Philadelphians’ signatures.

The document is currently in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Other items sold with the knife include a bronze medal commemorating the fair, as well as photographs of the presentation document, photocopies of a publication called Our Daily Fair that described the fair, and the text of Lincoln’s address.

The Bronxville factory in New York was originally a grist and saw mill prior to the Revolutionary War, and the four-story building housing the factory came into the hands of James Swain circa 1849. Swain utilized the building for the manufacture of axles, among other things.

In 1880, James Ward bought the property solely for the manufacture of cutlery.
Ward, like so many of his countrymen of the day, sought the aid of qualified and experienced Sheffield cutlers, and he even advertised for them. One tiny fragment of a prospectus survives. It reads:

“Dear Sir,

The undersigned, Manufacturers of PEN AND POCKET CUTLERY, are now prepared to sell to the trade, a first class article, manufactured on the English system…”

Knives made by Ward in Bronxville are certainly not plentiful, nor are the records clear about how long the company lasted. The factory later became the police headquarters for the Bronx River Parkway before its eventual demolition circa 1959.

Editor’s note: The current location of the Lincoln pocketknife was unknown at press time.

The Sea of Mud Knife: James Bowie’s Knife Found? Pt. 3

James Batson

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May 25, 2018

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The Sea of Mud Knife: James Bowie’s Knife Found? Pt. 3

James Bowie knife — (relic image courtesy of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Libraries)

Editor’s note: Read part one and two of this series first.

Did the Sea of Mud Knife Belong to Davy Crockett?

Davy Crockett picture — Davy Crockett passed by James Black’s Shop in 1835 on his way to the Alamo. Could he have bought the Sea of Mud knife (above) from Black or received it as a gift?

On about Nov. 18, 1835, the most famous fallen hero of the Alamo and his entourage crossed Town Creek on the Southwest Trail that led up the hill past James Black’s Shop to the Elijah Stuart’s tavern in Washington, Arkansas. Did former Tennessee congressman, Col. David “Davy” Crockett, or one of his companions buy the Sea of Mud knife from Black? Did Black give the knife to the famous folk hero?

On Nov. 1, 1835, Crockett, along with three others—William Patton, Abner Burgin and Lindsey K. Tinkle—left Crockett’s log cabin home near Rutherford, Tennessee, on a journey of adventure, exploration and fortune hunting.

Having recently lost his U.S. House of Representatives seat to Adam Huntsman, “a one-legged Jacksonian,” Crockett told his constituents, “Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to the devil and I will go to Texas.” Most certainly he told this tale over and over, all the way to Texas, always to the delight of his audience. He traveled to Jackson, Tennessee, arriving there with 30 well-armed men, where he gave a speech from the steps of the Madison County courthouse.

Davy Crockett history — Crockett left his log cabin home in Rutherford, Tennessee, on Nov. 1, 1835, on a journey of “adventure, exploration and fortune hunting.”

From there he rode southwest to Bolivar, where he spent the night at the residence of Dr. Calvin Jones, once again drawing crowds—including one that sent Crockett off the next morning.
He arrived in Memphis with a much-diminished company on Nov. 10. There that night much time was spent enjoying horns of drink with citizens and comrades at the Union Hotel, Hart’s Saloon and Neil McCool’s establishment.

At 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, Crockett and his entourage of six to eight men left Memphis on a packet steamboat. He obviously was recovering from a night of carousing. The steamboat traveled 311 miles down the Mississippi River and up the Arkansas River, arriving at Little Rock at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 12. The local newspapers reported that hundreds of people swarmed into town to get a look at Crockett, and a group of leading citizens put on a dinner in his honor that night at the Jeffries Hotel. He spoke “mainly to the subject of Texan independence,” as well as federal politics.

Washington, Arkansas

Crockett had traveled 150 miles in nine days on his large chestnut horse with the star on its forehead. He had at least three more traveling companions with him when he left Little Rock that morning. It was only 125 miles down the Southwest Trail to Washington, Arkansas, and just a few more miles to Texas. It is not known how long he stayed in Washington, maybe just overnight, because he was so close to that wonderful land called Texas.

Hugh Armstead Blevins history — On the way to Washington, Arkansas, Crockett stayed at the home (above) of Hugh Armstead Blevins in present-day Blevins, Arkansas.

He had stayed with an old and dear friend from Rutherford County Tennessee, Hugh Armstead Blevins, in present-day Blevins, Arkansas, before riding into Washington. Blevins family tradition maintains that Crockett went on a weeklong deer-hunting trip with Hugh. Crockett stayed at Elijah Stuart’s tavern next to James Black’s shop in Washington. The people came in from all around to hear Crockett speak from the courthouse steps. After some celebrating, Davy and a half-dozen mounted companions could have ridden to the Red River and crossed into Texas at Dooley’s ferry.
Some historians say he went down the Fort Towson road 115 miles and crossed the Red River into Texas at Jonesboro, just north of present-day Davenport, Texas. He may have crossed the Red River at Dooley’s Ferry just as W.G. Featherstonhaugh did.

Davy Crockett travels — Crockett stayed at Elijah Stuart’s tavern next to James Black’s shop in Washington. He may have crossed the Red River at Dooley’s Ferry as did W.G. Featherstonhaugh. Some say Crockett went down the Fort Towson road 115 miles and crossed the Red River into Texas.

Several weeks after the fall of the Alamo Crockett’s widow, Elizabeth, received a small package from Isaac Newton Jones. The package contained a watch with Crockett’s name engraved inside. In an accompanying letter, Jones wrote:

“Last winter, Colonel Crockett … passed through Lost Prairie, on the Red River, where I live … the Colonel visited me the next day, and spent the day with me. He observed, whilst here, that his funds were getting short, and proposed to me to exchange watches. He priced his at thirty dollars more than mine, which sum I paid to him, and we accordingly exchanged … I was gratified at the exchange, as it gave me a keepsake which would remind me of an honest man, a good citizen, and a pioneer in the cause of liberty … the object of this letter is to beg that you will accept the watch which accompanies it … please accept, dear madam, for yourself and your family …”

Crockett’s Letter

Davy Crockett De Kalb — Crockett reportedly suggested the name for De Kalb, Texas and traveled through the area on his way to the Alamo.

The distance from Lost Prairie to Nacogdoches down Trammel’s Trace was 165 to 170 miles. At the rate of 25 miles per day Crockett should have arrived at Nacogdoches, Texas before the end of November. Crockett and his entourage were welcomed in Nacogdoches on Jan. 5, 1836.

Here is what Crockett stated in a letter written to his son and daughter from St. Augustine, Texas, dated Jan. 9, 1836:

“This is the first time I have had the opportunity to write to you with convenience. I am now blessed with excellent health and am in high spirits. Although I have had many difficulties to encounter, I have got through safe, and have been received by everybody with the open arm of friendship. I am hailed with a hardy welcome to this country. A dinner and a party of Ladys have honored me with an invitation to participate with them, both in Nacogdoches and this place. The cannon was fired here on my arrival, and I must say, as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world. The best land and the best prospect for health I ever saw is here, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country to settle. It is not required here to pay down for your League of Land; every man is entitled to his head right of 4,000 & 428 acres. They may make the money to pay for it off the Land.

“I expect in all probability to settle on the Bodark or Choctaw Bayou of Red River. That, I have no doubt, is the richest country in the world. Good Land and plenty of timber, and the best springs and good mill streams. Good range, clear water and every appearance of good health, and game plenty. It is in the pass where the Buffalo passes from the north to south and back twice a year, and bees and honey plenty.

“I have a great hope of getting the agency to settle that country, and I would be glad to see every friend I have settle there. It would be a fortune to them all.

“I have taken the oath of the Government, and have enrolled my name as a volunteer for six months, and will set out for the Rio Grand in a few days with the volunteers from the United States. All volunteers is entitled to a vote for a member of the convention, or to be voted for, and I have but little doubt of being elected a member to form a constitution for this Province.

“I am rejoiced at my fate. I had rather be in my present situation than to be elected to a seat in Congress for life. I am in hopes of making a fortune for myself and family, bad as has been my prospects.

“I have not wrote to William, but have requested John to direct him what to do. I hope you show him this letter, and also your brother John, as it is not convenient at this time for me to write to them.

“I hope you will do the best you can, and I will do the same. Do not be uneasy about me, for I am with my friends.

“I must close, with great respects, your affectionate Father, Farewell David Crockett”

Crockett spent December roaming the north Texas countryside along the Red River visiting friends and looking for a prosperous place to settle down where there was good bear and buffalo hunting. He was also dodging Comanche Indians. He headed west along Ridge Trail or Choctaw Trail 175 miles along the Red River as far as Choctaw Bayou. Choctaw Bayou runs from Grayson County northeast into the Red River at the northwest corner of Fannin County above Sherman and Denison, Texas.

Davy Crockett Texas — Crockett stayed at Elijah Stuart’s tavern next to James Black’s shop in Washington. He may have crossed the Red River at Dooley’s Ferry as did W.G. Featherstonhaugh. Some say Crockett went down the Fort Towson road 115 miles and crossed the Red River into Texas.

It is said that the morale of the defenders of the Alamo in San Antonio enjoyed a boost on Feb. 8, 1836, when the former U.S. congressman from Tennessee, bear hunter and Indian fighter rode in with a contingent of Tennessee Mounted Volunteers.

Next time: The fortifications by the defenders and the probing of them by the Mexican Army during the Alamo siege.

Read part three of this series here.

Keep Learning About Knife History

How George Washington’s Penknife Saved the United States of America

Knife History

Mike Haskew

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February 22, 2018

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How George Washington’s Penknife Saved the United States of America

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the July/August 1994 issue of BLADE magazine.

Knife History: George Washington’s Penknife

On display at the Alexandria Masonic Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia, is a simple penknife. Its closed length is 3 inches; its handle appears to be mother-of-pearl. the single blade is 1 3/4 inches long.

The claim to fame of this otherwise nondescript cutlery antique is that it was in the possession of George Washington for 56 years. More significant than the knife itself, however, is the story it inspired, a fascinating tale of devotion to duty and strength of character.

George Washington knives history — Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.

Following the death of his father in 1743, a young George Washington, then only 11, went to live with his half-brother, Lawrence. While repairs were being done to the family estate at Mount Vernon, George stayed for a time at Belvoir, the home of William Fairfax, a close friend of the Washington family and also Lawrence’s father-in-law.

“William Fairfax became very fond of George and gave the young man access to his elaborate library,” explained Dr. Claude Harris, archivist of the Alexandria Washington Masonic Lodge, which is located in the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. “Through the influence of his brother and the Fairfax family. George obtained a commission as a midshipman in the [British navy].”

According to Jack Rudell, curator of the replica room of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Martha Ball Washington, George’s mother, corresponded with her brother, John Ball, who lived in England.

“John Ball said that the British navy was a floating hell,” commented Rudell. “So [Washington’s mother] was convinced not to let George go.”

Though the details had been worked out and all preparations made, young George respected his mother’s wishes, surrendered his commission and returned to the study of mathematics and surveying.

George’s mother ordered supplies from England annually, and in her next order was a request for one good penknife, which she intended to give to her son as a token of appreciation.

“This she presented to young George as a reward for his submission to her will with the injunction, ‘always obey your superiors,’” remarked Harris. “He carried the token with him through life as a reminder of his mother’s command.”

The Penknife Steps into History

George Washington Valley Forge — A painting of Gen. George Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge. (John Ward Dunsmore)

Later, during the Revolutionary War, Washington supposedly recounted the knife’s history in a conversation with one of his most trusted subordinates, Gen. Henry Knox. It was Knox who would later play a key role in Washington’s military future.

As the commander-in-chief quietly deliberated over the situation that bleak winter at Valley Forge, it could scarcely have been more critical. His soldiers were fighting for their very lives against the mightiest military power in the world. If they failed, then along with them would perish an ideal.

“When a timid Congress failed to provide food for his starving and ragged army, in desperation yielding temporarily to his feelings, and in sympathy for his men and disgust with Congress, Washington wrote his resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and summoned his staff to notify them of his actions,” remarked Harris. “Among the officers present and sitting in the council was Knox, who reminded him of the knife and his mother’s injunction ‘always obey your superiors. You were commanded to lead this army and no one has ordered you to cease leading it.’”

Washington paused and said, “There is something to that. I will think it over.”

Half and hour later he had torn up his resignation, determined to fight to the end. Thus, a penknife may have meant the different between life and death for the USA.

As True as the Cherry Tree Story?

Penknife george washington reproductions — According to “The ABCA Price Guide to Antique Knives,” by J. Bruce Voyles, several reproductions of Washington’s penknife were made in 1932. On the handle of the larger size is the injunction given Washington by his mother; on the scales of the smaller size is Washington’s signature. Clockwise from bottom left are repros by Camillus; unknown; B&B of St. Paul, Minnesota; Robeson; Remington; and Camillus.

Whether events actually transpired as recorded is as much a matter of opinion as appraisal of fact, but indeed the story of the knife should rank in American folklore with that of the cherry tree and the famous phrase, “I cannot tell a lie.”

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A Look Back At BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® History

Steve Shackleford

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February 26, 2019

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A Look Back At BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® History

As these words are written, sitting members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® are making their nominations for who will be inducted into the Cutlery Hall Of Fame during BLADE Show 2019 on June 7-9 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. When you read these words those nominations will have been completed and the final balloting will be under way.

The entire process rekindles fond memories for this writer, most of which involve the Hall Of Fame ceremony itself that annually occurs during the BLADE Magazine Awards Reception the Saturday night of the BLADE Show.

The first such ceremony that stood out for me was in 1988 when A.G. Russell and Ken Warner inducted each other—with neither knowing at the time the other would be inducted as well! When each inducted the other the expression on the new inductee’s face was priceless, and that ceremony remains like no other before or since.

Hubert Lawell’s induction in 1989 was memorable for his bringing a copy of the old and now defunct EDGES pocketknife newspaper we used to publish up on the stage, holding it high in the air, and praising it and everything it/we did as the greatest thing for the knife industry since sliced bread. Never mind that many in the audience appeared unsure of what Hubert was saying in his low Tennessee drawl, at the end of his speech he had everyone on their feet cheering—though I’m not sure all of them were cheering because of what he said so much as he was finished saying it.

The 1993 inductions of Col. Rex Applegate, B.R. Hughes and Bruce Voyles were unique. They were the only inductions ever held outside the BLADE Show venue, specifically under a big canvas tent at Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Bruce became the first-ever member inducted by acclimation of the membership, which was a pleasant surprise to him. Not to be outdone, upon his induction B.R. uttered perhaps the best acceptance line ever.

“I don’t know that I deserve this Hall-Of-Fame plaque,” he deadpanned, “but I’m not giving it back!”

Following it all everyone retired to a giant fireworks presentation courtesy of the park.
Spyderco CEO Sal Glesser’s induction in 1999 was particularly memorable. Not only were we able to keep Sal from knowing until the last minute that he would be inducted, but Mrs. Gail Glesser was able to keep secret from him that she would be there, too.

Gail was supposed to miss the BLADE Show entirely that year due to a scheduling conflict. However, when we told her Sal was going to be inducted, unbeknownst to him she begged off on her other engagement and arranged to arrive at the show just before the ceremony began. So not only was Sal surprised to be inducted, he was equally tickled to have his wife there to share in the honor with him.

In recent years we’ve had to forego all the cloak-and-dagger stuff involving keeping the inductions secret because we have been announcing the inductions on our website well before the show, which we will do again for this year’s inductions sometime next month. Stay tuned to blademag.com for that announcement.

Meanwhile, visit the list and mini-bios of all our illustrious Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame members. While all of their induction ceremonies are not recounted here, each was special in its own way just the same.

“He Made ’em Famous” – A Tribute to Ken Warner

Mike Haskew

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July 15, 2019

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“He Made ’em Famous” – A Tribute to Ken Warner

Editor’s note: Ken Warner, the visionary behind and original editor of the acclaimed KNIVES annual book series, recently passed away. In tribute, BLADE is featuring this article from the August 2009 magazine issue about this titan of knives.

The turn of a phrase, the flow of the narrative, and simply getting the story straight are hallmarks of the writing craft. BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer® Ken Warner brought the ability to perform each of these, along with an unmatched eloquence, to the knife industry.

Universally, knife authorities acknowledge him as the individual who lifted custom knives out of the shadows. He helped to accomplish this with a straightforward, crisp, and clean writing style that captured the imagination of readers for nearly half a century.

A “True Poet” of the Knife Community

Ken Warner knife books — Warner edited and wrote much of the first Knives annual in 1981. The series went on to transform the knife industry. He continued editing the annuals until 2000. BLADE managing editor Joe Kertzman assumed the reins beginning with the 2001 edition.

“Ken Warner is the true poet of the knife community,” related BLADE field editor Ed Fowler. “While he did not write the most knife articles, what he did write was worth reading and serves as an eloquent inspiration for all who have thoughts to share. He had no axe to grind other than to share knowledge. As a fledgling knifemaker, I used to read his comments and soon learned that he knew well his subject matter.”

Though he is not currently writing—he instead stays busy offering a wide range of fixed blades and folders through his Ken Warner Knives knife company—there is always the possibility that Warner will return to print. Meanwhile, he says he is becoming computer savvy enough to run a knife forum on the internet and to continue his online blog (kenwarnerknives.blogspot.com). He also stays busy designing knives.

“I’m 80 years old,” he reflected, “and I have some things I want to say and there are some stories I can do that nobody else can do because I was there. I will get to that when I get to it.”

Forging a Path

Bill Moran Ken Warner photo — Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famers Bill Moran (left) and Ken Warner were good friends. According to Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer B.R. Hughes, Warner was the first to write about Moran and his knives in a national magazine. Here Moran and Warner visit and talk knives at an early 1980s Knifemakers’ Guild Show. (photo courtesy of B.R. Hughes)

Literally, when custom knives began to gain national and international attention, Warner was there. In fact, he was the prime mover in publicizing the work of the knifemakers. As a writer for the popular annual Gun Digest, he started writing about knives in 1964. That first article, titled The Best Knives Made, has been reprinted numerous times.

Back then, though, it was a challenge just to get enough material to put a story together.

“I could hardly find any knifemakers,” Warner commented. “I found [Bill] Moran and [Bo] Randall, and Buck was small then and I wrote about them. However, a number of knifemakers and collectors have told me that the article got them started. Bob Loveless, for example, has told me that he was about to give up making knives because it wasn’t going any place. Then, he read the article and decided that somebody would understand. There was a time that I was actually giving away Loveless knives just to see what people thought of them. Butch and Rita Winter were pre-eminent collectors of handmade knives, and they told me I got them started.”

A Calling

Educating the general public about knives evolved into something of a mission for Warner. In 1976, he wrote The Practical Book Of Knives, a primer of information on the mechanics, components, function and terminology associated with knives. Through editorial contributions to a number of publications, he has managed to spread the word.

Along the way, he has gained a multitude of friends and admirers. One of the closest was with the legendary Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer, Bill Moran. BLADE field editor and Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer B.R. Hughes, co-author of the Moran biography, Master Of The Forge, credits Warner with his introduction to the great bladesmith.

A Man of Many Firsts

Ken Warner article in Gun Digest — Ken Warner’s The Best Knives Made article in the Gun Digest 1966 book was a game-changing moment for what is now the modern knife industry.

“Ken was one of the first to write knowledgeably about handmade knives, and he’s important to me personally because he’s how I heard about Bill Moran,” Hughes remarked. “Ken used to live close to Moran’s shop and visited there often. He was the first to write about Moran in a national magazine. He mentioned Moran in the Gun Digest article in 1964, and that article did more to publicize handmade knives than everything written about them up to that time.”

Of course, Moran, Hughes, Don Hastings and Bill Bagwell went on to found the American Bladesmith Society in 1976 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hughes said he remembers working at a magazine called Gunsport in the mid-1960s and Warner was the editor. Even then, Hughes knew Warner was something special.

“Ken’s writing was a cut above what I was used to seeing in a gun magazine,” Hughes continued. “I soon became shotgun editor of Gunsport, and no gun magazine of that day was going to publish a lot of knife articles, but Ken got a knife article in there from time to time.”

When Warner left Gunsport to publish his own magazine, Gunfacts, the idea of writing about knives had caught on.

Hughes said he recalls a memo circulating to ask if anyone else at Gunsport had an interest in or knowledge of handmade knives. Hughes raised his hand, contacted Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer A.G. Russell for a crash course in handmades, and took up writing about knives himself.

The Knives (KNIVES) Books

First Annual Knives Book cover — The cover of the knife book that started it all.

For many, Warner’s greatest single contribution to the knife industry was not that first article in Gun Digest, nor his continuing effort to publish knife stories in popular magazines. Rather, it was the publishing of the first Knives annual in 1981 that sparked what became an explosion of interest in handmade knives.

“The big thing with Ken is that he mainstreamed knife interest, and everybody credits him with that,” assessed Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bruce Voyles, with whom Warner co-authored the book Knives Digest in 1999. “That, in my opinion, was not his greatest contribution. That came when he got the Knives series started. For the first time you had a listing of not just a particular organization’s members but all knife people. You also had pictures. It was a snapshot of the state of the knife industry at the time, particularly handmades—and the industry was pretty disorganized at the time unless you were a member of the Knifemakers’ Guild.

“I think he gave tremendous publicity to people that had not gotten publicity,” Voyles continued. “Plus, there’s something that most people will not notice about him unless he has edited something they’ve written. He’s one of the most gifted editors I have ever known in any genre. He takes average stuff and makes it sound good, and makes good stuff sound fabulous while making it flow easily. The different thing about Ken’s writing and editing is that Ken made it readable. Most of the stuff before Ken was clumsy, and he made it interesting. He could make the phone book interesting. One of my favorite quotes was when his former wife said some years ago, ‘Ken has the most annoying habit of being right most of the time.’”

Recognition

BLADE Show Ken Warner — Ken Warner inducts Bruce Voyles into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame at the 1993 BLADE Show Awards Banquet in Stone Mountain, Georgia. From left: George Herron, A.G. Russell, Buster Warenski, the inductee, Paul Tausig, Joe Mangiaracina, Warner, Houston Price and B.R. Hughes. All but Tausig and Mangiaracina are in the Cutlery Hall Of Fame. Along with Col. Rex Applegate, Hughes joined Voyles as an inductee that year.

Among the many happenings during his association with Warner, Voyles will never forget that it was Warner who organized Voyles’ induction into the Cutlery Hall of Fame at the awards banquet of the 1993 BLADE Show. It was Voyles’ 40th birthday, and Warner took the stage to announce—to Voyles’ surprise—that he was being inducted by acclamation of all living members of the hall at the time.

When Warner and A.G. Russell were inducted into the hall at the 1988 BLADE Show, each was invited to the banquet to provide the introduction speech for the other’s induction. Neither Russell nor Warner knew they were being honored themselves.

“Ken said at the time that as long as there was a BLADE Show, he would eat the BLADE Show’s rubber chicken,” Voyles grinned. “Then, the next year we presented Ken with a rubber chicken and taped a knife that he liked inside the chicken’s mouth.”

Warner is also a member of the ABS Hall Of Fame and counts the society’s prestigious Don Hastings Award among his many honors.

A Lasting Legacy

Best books about knives — The most recent KNIVES annual book on shelves is KNIVES 2019.

As for the Knives annual series, it is still going strong under the capable hands of former BLADE managing editor, Joe Kertzman.

Fowler said Warner was the right man for the successful development and promotion of what has become a virtually indispensable part of the knife industry, a book which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2020.

“Thanks to his knowledge, editorial ability, choice of writers and relevant topics, Ken started a legacy to the knife community that continues to this day,” Fowler noted. “Ken knew the difference between a hunter and an art knife, as well as the pretenders, and described each knife eloquently. Many of his one-sentence comments were worth hundreds of words. He inspired many makers through his comments on design, steels, handle materials, leatherwork and scrimshaw. Reading back through my collection of his books, I find many of his comments that I once glanced over were far from simple but offered great understanding and predictions of the future and well being of our community.”

A Renaissance Man

Ken Warner custom knives — The Warner SGG is a knife of all work, with lots of belly and a good bit of sharp. The blade is 5 inches of 10CR17 and, of course, is convex ground all the way. The drop of the grip puts the edge where it is needed. (Warner photo and caption)

Warner, it turns out, is something of a renaissance man as well. Fowler related sharing a huge bowl of crab legs following the BLADE Show a few years back.

“We debated the styles of Steinbeck and Hemingway, as well as other great authors, what makes poetry great, and the responsibilities of authors,” Fowler recalled. “I learned that everything we write is an echo of our total experience. The more we read and the greater our personal experience, then the better we will be able to express our thoughts. There is no question in my mind that Ken Warner has been, is and continues to be one of the great, if not the finest, of icons of the community of knives.”

Perhaps the greatest test of a true “living legend” is that he has contributed to his lifelong interest, building something where little or nothing existed before, and assuring that his influence will last long after he and his contemporaries are gone.

In the case of Ken Warner and the knife industry, there is no better definition.

Lockback Folders Are 500 Years Old?

Knife History

Mike Haskew

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January 13, 2020

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Despite or perhaps because of its requirement for tight tolerances, the lockback has a substantial lineage.

According to Bill Claussen, co-author of Sheffield Exhibition Knives, the lockback has been around in various forms since 15th-century Spain. Other European cutlers—including the French, Italians and English—have produced lockback variants during the past 500 years or so.

The Buck 110: A Gamechanger

In the modern era, Claussen cites the Buck 110, which hit the market in 1964, as an industry icon.

“It changed the face of modern pocketknives,” he commented. “Although lockbacks had been introduced to the U.S. for more than 200 years, they were not made affordable and convenient in mass production until Al Buck introduced his knife. This knife was quickly adopted by sportsmen, tradesmen, truckers and other workmen as an ideal, all-around, heavy-duty work knife. Vintage 110s are hard to find today, and one in mint condition will cost a small fortune if you can find one.”

Production Challenges

Chairman of the board at Buck Knives, Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Chuck Buck recognizes the pivotal role the 110 has played in modern lockback development, and acknowledges the challenges that surrounded the original premise of a practical production lockback.

“The lockback actually is a bar that goes across the back of the blade with the spring under it, and when you push down on the bar it rocks on a stainless rivet,” he said. “So, that was always hard to get exact because you did not want it to be loose and it needed to fit perfectly.

“You need to do fine blanking of the blades to achieve that and for years components had been machined, but with fine blanking you can get that done. We worked with the design for quite a few months, and it was all new to us. That was in 1963. The first knives on the market totaled about 250 in 1964, and then in 1965 we ended up making about 10,000 of them. It just grew from there. The 110 continues to be one of our most popular knives, and we are producing them now at a rate of over 1,000 per day. We have a whole crew that just makes the 110 folding hunter. To Buck, it has been something that has sold every year, and it just keeps getting better.”

Over the years, there have been a few tweaks to the lockback design of the Buck 110. For example, during the 1970s it was discovered users were placing a great deal of pressure on the blade, and the brass rivet in the mechanism itself was shearing. The brass rivet was replaced with a stainless steel component, and the 110 continues to sell well around the world.

From large retailers to mom-and-pop hardware stores, from Main Street to Moscow, the Buck 110 is a knife user’s mainstay.

It’s Human Nature

Claussen asserts another aspect of the popularity of folding knives and of lockbacks in particular has to do with human nature.

“It’s their mystique,” he related. “People seem to have a fascination for complicated things, plain and simple. Th is is generally true in life and very specifically in the collecting field. Watches, clocks and other collectibles are favored because of their complication. The general rule, with all things being equal, is that the more complications, the more desirability, hence greater value. To have a locking feature with a knife definitely adds mystique, aura and increased value.”

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