The early history of Walnut Hill Woburn

*The Legacy of Walnut Hill* Pre-View all the published books about the Hill CLICK ABOVE Then pick one up in the office for just $8.00 each FOR A BRIEF LOOK AT THE MRA HISTORY SCROLL DOWN
By Robert Summa Robert Summa has been a member of Massachusetts Rifle Association since the early 1970's. Bob has written the colorful shooting history of our club into a series of interesting volumes 1-10. Each volume is filled with history and photo's that cover the time span of the club and its members. This is a limited run series-only 100 booklets per volume. Volumes one through nine are now on sale at the clubhouse.
FOUNDERS OF M.R.A. WALNUT HILL 1875
ALONZO P. CLARKE CHARLES B. CORY JAMES N. FRYE MALCOLM C. GREENE WILLIAM GERRISH ALPHEUS H. HARDY HENRY S. HARRIS A. HENRY HEBBARD DUDLY F. HUNT WILLIAM H. JACKSON GEORGE A. LORING	CLARENCE U. MEIGGS JOHN B. OSBORN CHARLES A. PARKER WILLIAM POLAND HORACE T. ROCKWELL FREDERICK R. SHATTUCK EDWARD B. SOUTHER CHARLES C. WEMYSS, JR. SALEM WILDER FREDERICK B. WILDES
The Boston Globe Rifle Team 1882-1883, Winners of the B.P.R.A. Trophy: James P.Frost, Sam Merrill, Allen Kelley, Charles E.Orr, E.F. Stearns	In 1875, a band of pioneers set the stage for the inception of America's oldest shooting club: Harry Pope, the greatest barrel maker of his time; Adolph Neider, gunsmith and genius who pioneered the development of the .22 high-powered cartridge; Dr. Franklin Mann, scientist and ballistician without peer; E.E. Partridge, inventor of the partridge pistol sight, still popular today; and Author Corbin Gould, a firearms enthusiast, who in 1885, published the first issue of The Rifle, the predecessor of The Rifleman, the official publication of the NRA.

	On November 4, 1875, at 4:00p.m., the MRA was established. No doubt the twenty enthusiasts who gathered that afternoon never expected to be the founders of a club that would endure for more than 125 years. A mainstay that has become the most famous shooting club in America. In many ways, the Expressmen of the 1860s and the founders of the MRA embodied much of what we value today in the members of the MRA. They thrive in the face of adversity - in spite of the current political strife and the challenges of the encroaching urban sprawl - and find the greatest reward not in profit, but in the satisfaction of a job well done.

H.M. Pope at the Walnut Hill Range, June 5, 1935 The barrelmaker Harry M. Pope, with shooters at the Walnut Hill Range of the Massachusetts Rifle Association, sitting on the porch holding a rifle that he just finished building for Lucian Cary, who was standing behind him. Pope was the finest gunsmith of his era; a distinguished shooter of the Hill. He made barrels for Dr. Mann in his quests in ballistics.

	The Walnut Hill Club had grown from 30 members in 1875 to more than 300 members in 1891. Since ladies played an important part in the M.R.A. history in building the new clubhouse, Ladies Day was held to thank them for their interest in the M.R.A. The ladies had collected more than $110.00 for a new flag and flagstaff. The flag not yet unfurled, Mrs Dickey was assigned the task of unfurling the flag because she had shown a great deal of interest in securing funds for the project. Dr. C.H. Gerrish made a presentation of the flag, and J.A Dill catered the lunch for more than 150 people, which was followed by some novel shooting matches.

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