History of
The Honourable Company
of Horners
Past - Present - Future
The Formative Years
March 1997 - March 1998
President
Roland Cadle
Vice President
Clay Smith
Secretary
Russ Young
Treasurer
Russ Young
Introduction
The Honourable Company of Homer's began its second 'official Guild Year' following the
1997 annual meeting held at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio. It boasted 76 documented members, $864.10 in its Treasury, new offices of Secretary and Treasurer and official membership dues of $15 per member.{1}
By all appearances the Guild was in a somewhat stable situation for a newly formed organization and its future now rested on the shoulders of its newly elected officers: Roland Cadle (President), Clay Smith (Vice President) and Russ Young (Secretary / Treasurer). The coming year would prove challenging for the leadership of this fledging organization.*
It is important to remember that the Guild only had three officers, one of which held two positions, so a lot depended on the initiative and drive of these three individuals. Committees did not exist and would not come into being for another three or four years!
Key Highlights
Planning for the Second Annual Horn Fair: The Guild's new officers wasted no time in their planning. Russ Young wrote in the May 1997, issue of The Horn Book that "Your new president, Roland Cadle, has been a real fireball and has already chosen a site for our next meeting! It will be at Davis & Elkins College in lovely Elkins, West Virginia .... Roland has reserved the facility for our meeting on March 6th & 7th, 1998 .... mark your calendars now!!!!!!{2}​
For many years, the major effort of each President/Guildmaster was the planning, organizing and funding of the upcoming Annual Meeting/Horn Fair.
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Financial and Membership Status: It is interesting to look back at the financial and membership posture of the Guild in its early years. Russ Young, as Secretary and Treasurer, was also editor of The Horn Book and always kept members well informed. In addition to this myriad of responsibilities, he also maintained all membership data which he combined with his Treasurer responsibilities. By the end of its 'first official Guild year' (March 1997), the HCH was in excellent condition, both in membership and its financial status; how it will fare by the end of its 'second Guild year' (March 1998) will indeed be a key indicator of its future success!
​
The Horn Book: Russ Young, who had published four issues of The Horn Book in 1996-1997 would also publish the same number in 1997-1998. The main difference was that the HCH would now fund all the publication costs and no longer be a personal expense to him. He lamented that his 18th century mind had been vexed by the Windows '95 operating system along with a new printer. Of concern was the lack of response by the membership in submitting articles, with the exception of Tom Ames, a reliable contributor. Attached to the May issue was the membership directory and he reminded everyone that it was for the exclusive use of members only.{3}
Two items Russ continuously stressed in these first two years of publishing The Horn Book were urging members to submit articles for publication and the cost of its printing and mailing. As an example, it cost $234.13 to publish the May 1997 issue. One primary attribute of the Guild was that from its very beginning, it was blest with conscientious, dedicated, and financially astute Treasurers. To substantiate this last statement, Russ apologized for being late in mailing the July issue of The Horn Book stating: "Your editor begs forgiveness in the tardiness of this issue: he is preparing for the bonds of matrimony in a few days and his attention is elsewhere .... " - now that's dedication!
​
Horn Supply: A major problem during this period was where to purchase good horns. The
usual supply source was Karl and Peg Wilburn, but this source was now questionable. In addition,
the slaughter house where Roland Cadle and Lee Larkin purchased horns, had doubled their
prices. Roland had already contacted the Australian Trade Consulate and was busy checking out
new leads.{4}
​
Trade Fairs and Shows: From the very beginning, the Guild emphasized member attendance at major muzzleloading events such as Mansker's Station, Friendship, Connor Prairie, the Gunmaker's Fair at Dixon's and a new organization being formed and holding its first show July 31-August 2, called the Contemporary Longrifle Association (CLA). Its founder and long time collector, Gordon Barlow, was also a HCH member.{5} Other events were noted and members were requested to submit reports of the events they attended for publication.
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1997 Accouterment Winners at the Gunmakers' Fair at Dixon's: From the Guild's very beginning, it has always been well represented at Dixon's which helped set the standard for future years. Of the 16 awards presented, all but three awards went to Guild members. The official Guild winners for the July 1997 event were:{6}​
Hunting Bags
1st-Frank Willis
2nd-Carole Proud
3rd-Mark Worthington
Hunting Bag/Horn Combinations
1st-Roland Cadle
2nd-Willy Frankfort
3rd-Herb Knerr
Contemporary Accouterments
Walter Mabry
Undecorated Horn
1st-Dan Vashlishaa
2nd-Lee Larkin
3rd-Robert Frankland
Decorated Horn
1st-John Proud
2nd-Willy Frankfort
3rd-Steven Rheam
Master Accouterment
2nd-Bruce Horne
3rd-Lee Larkin
Judges' Choice
Walter Mabry
Carole Proud
Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum Horn Exhibit: Russ Young announced at the Horn Fair that a major exhibit of vintage and contemporary horn work will take place at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio from September through November 1998. This was not a Guild activity but an exhibit that is guest curated by Russ for the museum. Any members wanting to submit items were asked to contact Russ by July 24th. (See Chapter II, March 1998 - March 1999 section for event update).
Items requested were not only powder horns but drinking cups, shoe horns, horn books, horn spectacles, knife handles, ink stands, sanders, snuff bosses, buttons, spoons, spice containers, combs and other horn items of interest.
1998 Horn Fair
The Horn Fair at Davis & Elkins College was a success! The weather cooperated, lodging in one of the college dormitories proved convenient and accommodating, the food was of 'gourmet quality' and the program's schedule was excellent. It had fewer formal presentations to allow more time for members to talk, visit and peruse the twenty display tables set up by the members. Four major events that captured everyones' attention were:
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Shelby Gallien who was the keynote speaker for the second year, expanded his talk on the Tansel family homers from the previous year.
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Roland Cadle, Erv Tschanz and Bruce Horne produced, on site, a Pennsylvania screw tip powder horn.
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Davis & Elkins College opened up their extensive powder horn collection. Approximately 100 of their best horns ranging from the early 1600's through the 18th century which included Spanish, French, English and American origin were displayed.
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As noted in The Horn Book (June 1998), the West Virginia Public Radio aired a brief interview with Roland which served as a positive promotional step for the Guild in that it was being formally recognized.
The annual business meeting included the re-election of current officers; however, the annual report in The Horn Book stated: "Your officers were re-elected for yet another term but both Roland and Russ noted this is the last year we can serve, both needing a little time off."
Byron Smith announced that next year's Annual Meeting/Horn Fair will hopefully take place at Colonial Williamsburg.{7}
​Summary
One can safely ascertain that the 'official second year' of the Honourable Company of Homers was indeed successful. This was mainly attributable to its leadership of Roland Cadle, Clay Smith and Russ Young. Through The Horn Book, Russ kept the membership informed throughout the year and Roland's efforts in organizing the annual Horn Fair at Davis & Elkins College proved highly rewarding and generated even more interest in horn work.
The Guild's leadership was sound and by the end of Guild year 1997-1998 its documented membership increased by 60% to 117 members, its Treasury funds had doubled during the year to
$1,754.87 and it was an organization that had something of substance to offer each member.**
A common fallacy of many is looking at the past and failing to realize its limitations when compared to current day conveniences. In an interview with Roland Cadle, this topic surfaced and several insights were given into the Guild's early developmental stages. Communications were available but costly, as there was a billing for each long distance phone call which was an expense to the person initiating the call. As a result, much of the Guild's planning took place during major muzzleloading events throughout the year. The organization was rather loose knit resulting in the preponderance of coordination and work being done by the Guild's President and as such, his focus was primarily on the upcoming annual meeting. During these early years, little thought was given to long-term planning as there were only 3 officer positions, no committees and limited funds. The President was the primary working resource, followed closely by the Secretary / Treasurer, both offices held by Russ Young in addition to also being editor of The Horn Book and maintaining the membership records!{8}
Of note was the ongoing planning of another Horn Fair projected for the following year at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. This indeed signaled to all that this new organization, called the Honourable Company of Homers, was more than just an annual event, but a unique structure comprised of like minded individuals with a common interest in the art, craft, history and research of the horn trade. ​
Its future did indeed look promising!
*From 1996 through 2000, the titles of President and Vice President were used. Guildmaster, Past Guildmaster and Guildmaster Elect did not come into effect until 2001.
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**The membership roster attached to the June 1998 Hom Book was used as it reflected a date closest to March 1998, the end of the Guild's second 'official year' of existence.
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1 Russ Young. The Horn Book, May 1997: pg 1-2 / 6-11 (Member Roster)
2 Young, pg 3.
3 Young, pg 4 & pgs 6-11 (Member Roster).
4 Young, pg 3.
5 Russ Young. The Horn Book, July 1997: pg 4.
6 Russ Young. The Horn Book, October 1997: pgs 2-3.
7 Russ Young. The Horn Book, June 1998: pg 2.
8 Cadle Interview, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, March 7, 2020.
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