Gun enthusiasts abound in the Midwest, and Curtis L. Johnson is one of the best. An author and antique gun appraiser, Johnson will be at the Metamora Historic Courthouse on Saturday, November 10 to talk about his collection of antique long guns made by local gunsmiths.  Photo by Jerry Riley.

METAMORA – Gunsmith and author, Curtis L. Johnson, will be showing restored shotguns and rifles at a special one day antique gun show at the Metamora Courthouse State Historic on Saturday, November 10 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The arms Mr. Johnson will be showing were made originally by early gunsmiths in Peoria, Pekin, Bloomington, Chillicothe, Henry, Princeton, LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa, Canton, Magnolia and Champaign as well as other locations in Central Illinois. Antique tools used by early gunmakers will also be on display.

Mr. Johnson has been restoring antique guns for more than forty years. He has also been researching and writing about Illinois gunsmiths who worked from the 1600s into the early 1900s. His two-volume book, Gunmakers of Illinois, 1683-1900, will be on sale, and he will inscribe each one sold. There may be some antique pieces for sale, and Mr. Johnson will be doing appraisals of unloaded, private antique guns, as time allows.
Admission to the Metamora Courthouse is free. However, a $10.00 donation (or whatever you can afford) to the Woodford County Historical Society’s Metamora Courthouse Fund would be appreciated. The show and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.
This event also marks the beginning of the last step of fundraising to complete the exterior woodwork restoration of the 1845 Metamora Courthouse where Abraham Lincoln worked as a circuit lawyer. The Woodford County Historical Society’s Metamora Courthouse Fund has paid for the successful repair and painting of the columns and the portico in the last two years. A new goal of raising another $65,000.00 to restore the cupola (tower) has been set, and it is hoped that the work on this courthouse will be finished in 2013.
For more information about this show or the restoration of the Courthouse, please contact Mr. Jean Myers, Curator, at 309-367-4470 or by email at metcourt@mtco.com. Regular visitors’ hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1:00 – 5:00 PM and other times by appointment.