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The Marshfield Find: Extraordinary, Newly Discovered, Documented Mint Winchester Model 1886 Lever Action .45-90 WCF Rifle Time Capsule with Original Shipping Crate Containing Scabbard and Five Boxes of Ammunition, and Factory Letter - Serial no. 2062, 45-90 WCF cal., 26 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. Rock Island Auction is proud and privileged to unveil a new discovery in the field of fine and historic Winchester collecting: The Marshfield Find. This nearly perfectly preserved Model 1886 rifle is truly an “out of the crate” discovery that will be celebrated for years to come and immortalized in future publications. It is a story that celebrates the Winchester legacy and one family’s nearly 140 year curatorship.
Named after the salt marshes that border the early Pilgrim town, Marshfield, Massachusetts, sits where Cape Cod Bay meets Massachusetts Bay and is where our
story begins. Up on “Big Hill” sat a colonial era home built circa 1660 by John Rogers who received a land grant from the King of England. In the “History of Marshfield” the home was described as a “’block house,’ built in Pilgrim days with a view to protect themselves from the Indians. A portion of the top of the house projected over the main body, and had port holes in it, so that they could fire down upon the Indians if attacked.” Over the years additions were added to the home, and the old walls from the days of King Philip’s War were incorporated into the first floor parlor. In 1872, the home and the surrounding 200
acre farm was purchased by Henry W. Nelson. The Nelson farm was a large establishment. There were horses, Holstein cattle, pigs, and chickens. An apple orchard overlooked the North River. Large greenhouses facilitated the growth of a wide variety of cash crops such as the Marshall strawberry known for its delicious taste. An irrigation system was installed that pumped water from a brook. A labor force of fifty full time employees was employed. The Nelson farm marked a turning point in American agriculture. In 1800, the average American farm was about 10 acres and produced enough food for one family. By the turn of the century the average American farm covered 150 acres and raised large quantities of crops and livestock sold for cash. The Nelson farm was at the dawning of an agricultural revolution that gave way to the agribusiness of today.
Upon his death in 1897, Henry Nelson passed the farm to his son, Episcopal Reverend Henry W. Nelson, Jr. Rev. Nelson was a Doctor of Divinity and by 1876 had become the rector of Trinity Church, Geneva, New York, where he remained until 1901 when blindness due to cataracts forced him to retire. He wore cobalt lenses in his glasses in an effort to help his vision. In retirement he gained an interest in the financial markets. He passed away in 1928 as a wealthy man. According to family accounts Rev. Nelson was a “character.” His blindness had caused him to use a wicker wheelchair for assistance, but not one to let his disability bring him down, the reverend preferred to cause a little mischief.
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