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Thread: The popular Army Navy Store - Bannerman Castle NY.

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Default The popular Army Navy Store - Bannerman Castle NY.

    Born in Scotland in 1851, Francis Bannerman IV grew up in New York. Son of a salesman who specialized in reselling goods bought at local auctions, the junior Francis started picking up lots of goods himself and selling them in smaller pieces to collectors of curios, relics, and interesting items. Then he discovered government surplus.
    francis_bannerman_at_the_shop.jpg
    After the Civil War ended in 1865, a young Mr. Bannerman started bidding on huge lots of captured Confederate guns, often winning as many as 11,000 at a time. When those stockpiles were sold out, he kept in touch with the Army, and every time the Ordnance Corps adopted a new piece of equipment, the wily New Yorker showed up with his checkbook sniffing around stores of recently replaced surplus gear.
    guns_were_often_stacked_floor_to_ceiling_at_Bannerman_s_Broadway_warehouse.jpg



    See original article.
    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907


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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    A video of his Scottish Castle, the house and the abandoned Pollepel Island since the 1960's
    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Here is drone footage of the island and the castle that was used for storage.
    NOTE TURN DOWN YOUR VOLUME.

    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    In 1905, when the Japanese were fighting a bloody war with Russia and were running short of everything, Bannerman sold them 10,000 surplus US cavalry saddles, 100,000 rifles of all sorts that they just had lying around, and 20-million rounds of ammunition. The Haitian and Dominican governments, sharing the same island in the Caribbean and often coming to blows with each other, were frequent customers of the New York surplus empire. Several times in the 1920s, large yachts would quietly pull into New York and leave a week later, completely fitted out as warships complete with Hotchkiss deck guns and WWI-surplus Lewis guns, soon to be owned by a South American government or some far-off African state.
    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Pretty cool story....was a episode on Mysteries at the Museum awhile back......
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I once owned a classic reference book simply called Civil War Guns which I involuntarily contributed to another person's quest for knowledge.

    The entire last chapter in the book was devoted to the Bannerman empire and its products.

    For all practical purposes Banneran invented the 28 gauge shotgun, which became popular all through the south. He would bore the worn out rifling from the .577 CW rifle muskets, creating a 28 gauge smooth-bore, and sell them for less than a dollar. Those ML shotguns made from Enfield and Springfield muskets were still around when I was a kid and I had a good friend that had one hanging on his wall.

    Truth is that many of the old Civil War relics that "gran-dad brought home from the war" were actually Bannerman surplus bought down at the general store during the 1870s.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 01-21-2018 at 01:48 PM.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Yea I got interested in abandoned places I could go with a kayak... Found the castle... thought it was cool and found the connected stories... Thought it would interest you guys.

    That castle is five stories, I don't know if he lived in it and it was labeled on the wall that fell down.
    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    That's gonna be my new story line. Oh, yeah. That used to be in my family. No, really. In fact, there used to be a plaque on the wall that fell down.

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    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    Oh to go back in time and visit Bannerman's castle. I had a Bannerman westinghouse mosin that was converted to 30-06. Turner Kirkland talked about visiting Bannermans, at the time it was at the end of their business or nearly so.
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Some more of those prices that will make you cry, if you can zoom in and get any resolution.

    Colt SAA for $8
    1860 Army models converted to .44 rim-fire for $3

    A shoulder stocked Luger carbine for $48, which would have been big money back then.

    http://www.landofborchardt.com/1913fb_catalog.html
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    I have some 1950s Muzzle Blasts magazines. There are stories in there by some old fellers about their youth. About all of them had a old handgun or some such bought from Bannermans.
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

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    Senior Member Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    That's gonna be my new story line. Oh, yeah. That used to be in my family. No, really. In fact, there used to be a plaque on the wall that fell down.
    Maybe I am misunderstood Rick. I am having trouble interpreting your post. My interests or my finds of useless information that I like to share with you and others provide content for the site. I don't want to be the debbie downer of SNL fame here. If something is relevant to the group, hey great... otherwise just delete the thread, I will understand.
    “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

    Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    I like useless information Wise old owl.
    Fascinating story.
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    I'm with you. It was a joke on my part. My weak attempt at humor. My claim to fame and being able to back it up sort of. I just thought it was one of the best lines I had ever heard and thought I would claim it for my own.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Antonyraison View Post
    I like useless information Wise old owl.
    Fascinating story.
    I am a schoolteacher. Useless information is my specialty. Thanks for the Bannerman references.

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