HERSHEL C. HOUSE

A Brief Biography

One day, when Hershel was 9 years old, he explored a neighbor’s barn on one of his strolls in the neighborhood. A very old percussion rifle was lying around there; it had not seen use or care for many years. Most folks would have considered it a piece of junk, but Hershel was fascinated by it. He asked the owner of the barn if he could try to restore the rifle. The lady told him yes and that it was his to keep. Without help from anyone else and with no previous experience as a gunsmith, Hershel restored the rifle to working order. Not having money for percussion caps, needed to operate the rifle, he came up with a solution on his own: He figured out how to use the paper caps for a toy cap gun to fire the rifle. For the rest of Hershel’s life, he was very proud of the fact that he had taken many squirrels with this rifle.

This was the beginning of Hershel Carmen House’s later world-renowned reputation as an excellent gunsmith. Born on the US independence day, July 4 in 1941, in Woodbury, Kentucky, he grew up with an astonishing view of the Green River, which was the centerpiece of his early life. A love for nature was woven into Hershel’s life, since he spent as much time as he could hunting and camping in the woods through which the river ran, as well as going up and down the river in canoes. Being a maker and a crafter early on, Hershel was known to build canoes by hand.

Passionate about the old ways

It was early that Hershel discovered he did not appreciate the ways of the quickly modernizing world and preferred the old and primitive ways on which our country and the Commonwealth of Kentucky were built. The foundation for Hershel’s passion for both a primitive way of living and for literature was built through his fourth-grade reader, “Singing Wheels”. He often spoke very fondly of this book, it made a big impression on him.

Herschel’s skill as an artist began to develop around the time he found the rifle in his neighbor’s barn. His initial drawings were simple pencil and paper sketches and cartoons. Later in life, he painted as well. Some of his most famous drawings are a set of four, which he produced for the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association’s (NMLRA) 50th Anniversary in 1984.

These sets proved to be a major fundraiser for the Association that year. The Hershel House and Woodbury School Foundation is in the process of putting together a book featuring many of his works, some of which the board has only recently discovered in his home since his passing on January 10, 2024.

After Hershel graduated from high school, he honorably served his country in the United States Marine Corps. He proved to be an ace shot on the rifle range and was known for out shooting his commanding officers. During his enlistment, he served 16 months in Cuba doing guard duty at Guantánamo Bay. There, he spent plenty of time drawing and planning his life back home in Kentucky, where he would make a living working with his hands.

After his discharge, he moved to Louisville, where he worked in an automobile assembly factory. “I hated it!” he stated later. After just a few months, in 1965, he returned to Woodbury to pursue his lifelong dream of setting up a shop and building Kentucky rifles full-time. Many thought that he was crazy and would starve to death. Fortunately for him and us, they were wrong! As time passed, his skills grew and grew to where he became known simply as Hershel. If you had one of his long rifles, pistols, knives, tomahawks, or anything else that he made, you were considered very fortunate.

Fess Parker used one of Hershel’s Kentucky Long Rifles in his portrayal of Daniel Boone on TV from 1964–1970. Others fortunate enough to own one of his long rifles include governors, U.S. senators, and other dignitaries, as well as regular hunters and collectors.

It turns out that he was also a trendsetter. Early on, he taught himself how to “age” a barrel so that the gun would look like it was well used. In the 1960s, many older gun makers would say, “A new gun should look new!” Hershel’s reply was, “Well, they didn’t look new after a few trips to the woods back in the day.” Today.

Versatile and alive: Historical craftsmanship

To make a Kentucky long rifle, one must be a metallurgist, a blacksmith, a mathematician, a woodworker, and an engraver. Hershel mastered all of these skills through self-teaching, dedication, and experience, making him not just a gunsmith but a true artisan.

Hershel’s interests in “the old ways” were not restricted to the long rifle culture. He was also fascinated by single-cylinder hit-and-miss engines, amassing a collection of 20, all of which he restored to working order. His appreciation for historical craftsmanship extended to early automobiles, with a passion for Model A cars and Model T trucks. The historical conservationist owned 12 of them, nine of which remain in working order, along with a vast collection of spare parts.

Sharing the knowledge with kindness and compassion

Once, a man who had been studying with a different master gunmaker called Hershel and said, “I am having trouble figuring out this one step, and my teacher told me that it was one of his secrets and won’t tell me how to do it.” Hershel replied, “I’ll tell you exactly how he does it. I know because I’m the one who taught him!”

One of Hershel’s greatest sources of happiness was teaching others how to do the things which he had taught himself and had learned over the years. Seeing someone else produce something with their own hands using the knowledge he had shared brought him great joy. There is no way to know how many people Hershel taught over his lifetime.

A one of a kind-teacher

People who got to work with Hershel recall the very special bond they felt working and learning beside him. Kindness, patience, confidence, and trust are what Hershel’s students describe when they remember the days with their influential teacher and friend.

Hershel’s art took him all over the country, which allowed him to meet and work with people from all walks of life.

Famous and humble

Numerous magazine articles and TV shows featured Hershel’s craftsmanship. He was also the recipient of not one but two National Endowment for the Arts grants. The grants allowed Mel Hankla, Ed.D, and Terry Leeper, Ed.D, to study individually with him. Both are now well known and respected in the Long Rifle Culture for their individual work and accomplishments.

Despite his fame, Hershel remained a humble man. If someone dropped by his shop and had a question, Hershel would gladly stop what he was doing to help that person. If a gun of his developed a problem, even one caused by owner misuse or neglect, Hershel fixed it gladly and at no charge.

Prior to Hershel’s passing in January of 2024, he established the Hershel House and the Woodbury School Foundation, Inc. His main goal in establishing this 501(c)(3) was to make sure that his legacy of teaching others how to create the things he did using his traditional techniques would be carried on. Fortunately, he left behind very specific instructions, which the Foundation is working diligently to accomplish.

“I’ve had the great satisfaction of living my life exactly the way I’ve always wanted to live it.”

One example of Hershel’s teaching is the annual June Long Rifle-making seminar, which started in 1982 and is held in conjunction with the NMLRA. The many who had the privilege of visiting his home and the workshops held there could not help but be captivated by the world he had created to grow his craft. Many described it as walking back in time. Between reviving log cabins, restoring antique vehicles, building furniture, grinding cornmeal on his mill, hunting with his beloved dogs, or going to the flea markets, not much grass could grow under his feet.

The Woodbury School is the institution that carries on Hershel’s greatest legacy. For as long as the Woodbury School exists, Hershel’s willingness to share his artistic styles and processes with others openly and freely will always remain.