FITCHBURG — The Fitchburg Historical Society will host a talk on “Fitchburg’s Civil War Bowie Knives” by Don Anderson, a knife collector and historian on Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. in the Phoenix Building, 781 Main St.
Anderson will discuss his new research on 19th century “cutting tool” manufacturers Whitman and Miles of Fitchburg. The company manufactured weapons in Fitchburg that were given to the area’s Civil War soldiers, as they went off to fight, including the classic Bowie knives.
Anderson’s research also found the company’s ties to the Abolition movement and local Fitchburg politics.
Augustus Whitman and Eugene T. Miles formed a partnership that lasted in Fitchburg from 1857 to 1876, when they consolidated with another company and moved all their operations to Akron, Ohio. They were also founding backers of the Fitchburg Machine Company when it was formed in the 1870s.
Anderson has rediscovered the Whitman and Miles story through his research around central Massachusetts. A graduate of Fitchburg High School, Anderson has a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary and a master’s in education from Boston University.
Since retiring from a career in workforce development, he has been an active researcher in his hobby of collecting vintage knives. Anderson will also bring artifacts made by Whitman and Miles to display at the time of the lecture, including the Bowie knife from his collection that inspired him to begin his research.
For more information, visit www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.com, call 978-345-1157 or email [email protected]. The event is free and there is plenty of free, on street parking. This talk was originally scheduled for March 5, but was postponed, and will now be held on April 16.
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