Renno, a former resident of Juniata County who now lives near Newport, has been a collector for more than 35 years. He will have pieces from his collection on display during the Juniata County Historical Society’s Antique Firearm Day at the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Mifflin. The exhibit runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“His interest in the guns focuses on how their story makes history come alive rather than the gun itself,” explained Austin Willi of the historical society’s properties committee.

One of the guns featured will be an early flintlock Fowler from the 1700s. Willi said this is a gun many people probably have never heard of, yet it was the most commonly-used firearm in the colonial era.

“Unlike the Pennsylvania Rifle and other long rifles this weapon was a smooth-bore weapon,” Willi said. “It could fire either shot, for hunting waterfowl or other small game, or round ball for larger game.

“This is the weapon you probably would find over the fireplace in colonial homes,” Willi added. “Other copies of early Fowlers will be on display.”

Renno will also have firearms on display that were made in Juniata County, including “Pennsylvania Long Rifles” made by gunmakers John Watts and Samuel Loudenslager.

They proved to be one of the more popular attractions, Willi recalled. “Sam Loudenslager’s relatives came and brought one of his guns. That was kind of neat.

“The fact that one of the gunsmiths — one of his descendants were there and had one of the rifles (was extraordinary),” Willi added.

Watts had his gun shop in a spring house on the property of Squire John Patterson in Peru Mills, Juniata County. Loudenslager was originally from Snyder County but later resided in Walker Township. Both Watts and Loudenslager rifles are highly sought by collectors.

“Steve’s great-grandfather was sheriff of Juniata County circa 1913-1916,” Willi explained. “The handgun he carried will be on display, along with many other weapons, including a Brown Bess and an Enfield Rifle.

“The Brown Bess was an early British smoothbore weapon that was first used in the early 1700s and remained in use for over 100 years with many changes in its design,” Willi added. “The Enfield was a British Rifle that was commonly carried by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, but also were issued to some Union troops. This included the 151st Pennsylvania Infantry.”

Renno has a special interest in the 151st Pennsylvania because they were led into the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 by Lt. Col. George McFarland, who was the principal at Lost Creek Academy in McAlisterville.”

Many of the regiment’s soldiers were students of McFarland, who was wounded in both legs on the first day of battle, which resulted in one of his legs being amputated. He suffered the rest of his life with the wounds to his other leg.

“After the war, he returned to Juniata County. He transformed the Lost Creek Academy into the McAlisterville Soldier’s Orphan School, which operated until 1899,” Willi explained. “An original cot from the orphan’s school is on display at the Tuscarora Academy.”

Renno will be happy to answer questions about his collection.

Among the other firearms on display will be items that were stolen from the historical society nearly 50 years ago then miraculously returned after an FBI investigation. These include a 1911 Colt carried in World War II by Juniata County native Alfred J. Bartram, as well as Samuel Culbertson’s flintlock pistol from the American Revolution. Also among the stolen items returned is a Civil War fife.

Other weapons of interest include another Loudenslager “Pennsylvania Rifle,” a World War II Model 98 Mauser owned by Gen. Homer Groninger, and a 1911 Colt revolver carried in the Argonne Offensive by Juniata County resident Alfred Bartram.

“We had a good attendance that day,” Willi said of the turnout for last year’s event.

During Antique Firearm Day, the museum’s new exhibit highlighting the Tuscarora Valley and Pennsylvania Railroads. The exhibit includes an HO-scale diorama of Port Royal as it looked during the heyday of the railroads.

For more information, visit www.juniatacountyhistoricalsociety.org or find them on Facebook.