1815 United States Letters Patent for Improvements in Guns & Rifles – James Madison – James Monroe – Harpers Ferry, Virginia
An original United States Letters Patent issued on February 25, 1815, during the administration of President James Madison, granting Frederick Oswan, a citizen of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, the exclusive right for fourteen years to his "new and useful improvement in guns and rifles." Patent records identify Oswan's invention as a firearms improvement originating from Harpers Ferry, then home to the United States Armory and one of the nation's foremost centers of firearms innovation.
The document bears the official signatures of President James Madison, Secretary of State James Monroe, and Attorney General Richard Rush, and originally carried the paper Great Seal of the United States. While the seal has suffered losses over time, the original attachment ribbon and remnants of the seal remain intact, preserving the patent's authenticity.
Issued immediately following the War of 1812, this patent reflects the period when the young United States was encouraging innovation in military and civilian arms manufacturing. Surviving presidential patents from the Madison administration are uncommon, and examples concerning firearms are particularly desirable because of their direct connection to early American technological development and the historic Harpers Ferry Armory.
Condition: Fair overall, with expected folds, scattered staining, edge wear, and partial loss of the original paper Great Seal. The patent remains complete, highly displayable, and historically significant.
An original United States Letters Patent issued on February 25, 1815, during the administration of President James Madison, granting Frederick Oswan, a citizen of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, the exclusive right for fourteen years to his "new and useful improvement in guns and rifles." Patent records identify Oswan's invention as a firearms improvement originating from Harpers Ferry, then home to the United States Armory and one of the nation's foremost centers of firearms innovation.
The document bears the official signatures of President James Madison, Secretary of State James Monroe, and Attorney General Richard Rush, and originally carried the paper Great Seal of the United States. While the seal has suffered losses over time, the original attachment ribbon and remnants of the seal remain intact, preserving the patent's authenticity.
Issued immediately following the War of 1812, this patent reflects the period when the young United States was encouraging innovation in military and civilian arms manufacturing. Surviving presidential patents from the Madison administration are uncommon, and examples concerning firearms are particularly desirable because of their direct connection to early American technological development and the historic Harpers Ferry Armory.
Condition: Fair overall, with expected folds, scattered staining, edge wear, and partial loss of the original paper Great Seal. The patent remains complete, highly displayable, and historically significant.