Very hard to believe. Could it be true?

[Bill Murphy]

It is assumed that Mr. Highsmith performed most of Nash's gunsmithing and stockmaking when he was domiciled in Tennessee. However, Nash spent some time in other areas of the South and also spent some time in Washington, D.C., although I'm not sure how long he was a resident of the evil empire. Does anyone know where Nash lived exactly when he was in Washington? I have not found his address.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

It is assumed that Mr. Highsmith performed most of Nash's gunsmithing and stockmaking when he was domiciled in Tennessee. However, Nash spent some time in other areas of the South and also spent some time in Washington, D.C., although I'm not sure how long he was a resident of the evil empire. Does anyone know where Nash lived exactly when he was in Washington? I have not found his address.

Yes, Bill -

Nash did one of his many "agro-eco-ego-financial Special Assignments" in our own Washington Metro area in the late 1930s, compliments of John Olin, J.N. "Ding" Darling, Aurthur Morganthau, Winchester-Western, and Ducks Unlimited. When receipts from his (shiney) seat on the cotton exchange in Memphis began to go south, he turned to writing, whose outputs made him a hot commodity on the "what are we doing to the planet" circuit.

Nash enjoyed an idyllic existence during his brief stay here, having worked out an arrangement with none other than "Marse" Henry Bartholemew, uberFox patron, whereby he lived rent-free in one of the comfortable outbuildings on "Marse" Henry's palacial estate. Actually an ante-bellum "farm" lying between Broad and Swan creeks east off the mainstem of the Potomac River, between Fort Washington and Marshall Hall plantation in Prince Georges County, MD, about 12 miles south of Washington DC, the place is to this day known as a Canvasback stronghold.

The farm was seized by the federal government after the Civil War from Confederate sympathizers, of whom there were many in the area (do Mary Surratt, George Atzelrod, Dr. Samuel Mudd and the guy who broke his leg leaping off the balcony of Ford's Theatre ring a bell?). Nash worked out a deal with "Marse Henry" whereby he lived essentially free in an "outbuilding" on the estate, his only responsibilities being those of rising early to set decoys, ensuring an adequate supply of corn (not for making tortillas), and keeping the local pickers (not Bluegrass musicians) at the ready for processing the prodigious amounts of ducks they killed (not "harvested") on the Potomac.

When WWII broke out, carefree frivolity like duck shooting on the Potomac went south (what does that term acutally mean? - like migrating ducks or what??) and Captains of Industry like "Marse Henry" turned back to the business they loved best - making money. In sharp contrast, Nash, eshewing the dust, heat and light of wartime DC, returned to his beloved Southland to continue "giving the next customers a whirl" with his Becker-bored Super Duper Uber Fox Magnum (HIS barrels, BTW, "Guaranteed"!). The rest, as they say, is history.

So in the end, who really cares if the "Original Bo Whoop" has had two stocks or three; so what if the letters on the "Burt Becker custom built for Nash Buckingham" barrel stamps are crooked; and tell me this: did anyone ever actually count up all those shot holes to make sure that those barrels shot 90% patterns? Not likely!

[George Lander]

Jim Kelly told me that the stock he was making for Bo Whoop would be it's third. The owner told him that his grandfather had the second stock made years ago (the grandfather bought it with a broken stock which probably was the original the whereabouts of which are unknown) As far as he knew the forearm is original to the gun. The second broken stock, I believe, is included in the sale.

Best Regards, George

[Robert Delk]

I agree with Mr. Miller and the proceeds should go to such a cause as he stated.I think whoever found the gun knew or at some point learned who the owner was and just kept it anyway.

[Chuck Heald]

A question for those of you that have been around the big end of collectable guns with significant provenance, maybe a dumb one. Would the genuine Bo Whoop be a risky investment in the long haul? Is there a significant risk that the gun could depreciate with the passing of Nash Buckingham's contemporaries?

[Dean Romig]

Chuck, I think the answer to your question rests largely with the level of recruitment of younger people into our societies of collecting and other shooting interests. This, including, but not limited to, the great books that have been written about the sport in those days. Even the writings of many authors of today are writing what may be deemed classics in generations to come. Let's hope it continues - let's do our part to ensure it does.

[Tim Sheldon]

Has anyone taken an original Olin shell out, shoot her and hear if she screams "BO WHOOP"?

Tim

[MarketHunter]

Russ Bickel and I have discussed those shells actually, neither of us has ever seen a box that was loaded with what Nash talks about. The originals were supposedly 3 inch paper cases, 1 3/8 ounce of Lubaloy shot. I'd love to find a box and so would Russ, but ol' Nash must have shot them all up I guess......

Destry

[Jerry McCarty]

Hello Mr. McCormack,

Being a big fan of A.H. Fox guns and Mr. Buckingham's story, "The Family Honor" which tells of Marse Henry's venue on the Potomac, your description of the Henry property leaves me with a question that you could perhaps answer...

Actually an ante-bellum "farm" lying between Broad and Swan creeks east off the mainstem of the Potomac River, between Fort Washington and Marshall Hall plantation in Prince Georges County, MD

I used to have a 'stake' off of the main stem just up stream of Swan Creek along the shoreline of an old farm which I thought might have once belonged to Marse Henry given the description in Mr. Buckingham's tale that it was between Swan Creek and Broad Creek (if memory serves). Your description that the property lies between Fort Washington and Marshall Hall would put it down river from where I used to hunt but never the less, there were canvas back to be shot. This was however, was prior to the development of Washington Harbor which caused a lot of damage to the grass beds of Smoot Bay and thus the decline of the diver shooting along that stretch of the river in my opinion. Any how, just curious if you know if I'm way off in my assessment of the old Marse Henry farm. By the way, another interesting location along that shoreline is south at Chapman's Landing where Herbert Hoover had a 'duck camp' and the remnants of the building are still there at the south end of the marsh.

Regards,

Jerry

[ahfoxman]

Here You Go!