Look in the 2009 issue 2 for the article "Early 28 Gauge Parkers" on page 49.

To find this I went to "parkerguns.org" then to "Parker Pages" and clicked on the "Parker Pages Index" and searched ("ctrl f" to get search box) for "early 28" and there it is.

Bill, Thank you so much for the additional info. Now I kinda wish we had this conversation while I was putting the article together. The article was born out of the "What was the earliest 28 gauge serial numbers" if I remember right. But I think an article on "Uncle Billy" would be well recieved. Are you and Kevin working on anything? If I can be of help just ask...

For those of you who use google earth and other streetscape research tools, Uncle Billys store was established in 1877 and was, and is, at 207 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. A short description of the Wagner business is included in "Historical Sketches of the Capital City of our Country" an 1878 book by John P. Coffin.

I googled "william wagner historical sketches john coffin" and got the page reference to the long paragraph describing Wagner's business. By the way, Peter Johnson described a business on Pennsylvania Avenue on Capitol Hill in his book, but did not describe Wagner Hardware by name. I would be interested to know whom Johnson interviewed to come up with that obscure piece of information. The Parker records were not available to him and only a very few William Wagner orders included his street address.

The other gent in the picture with Kevin is not me, I was taking the picture. The guy with the other gun was from the Burgh.

Dave