Staff Report
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Jason Ketterer, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="State Command Chief Master Sgt. James Smith proudly hangs the musket as an homage to the National Guard's minuteman. It is on display at Kentucky's Emergency Operations Center building on Boone National Guard Center."]
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="This musket is an exact replica of the .75 caliber Newtowne, Massachussetts Musket on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History."]
BOONE NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Kentucky National Guard added its newest piece of equipment to its arsenal during the joint conference for the National Guard Association of Kentucky and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Kentucky. Hung proudly on display at Kentucky’s Emergency Operations Center, the replica of the original .75 caliber Newtowne Matchlock Musket bears a distinct significance to the Commonwealth.
“The serial number is NG0015, signifying the 15
th state of the union. We were able to acquire that by request for Kentucky,” said Kentucky National Guard’s State Command Chief Master Sgt. James Smith.
[caption id="attachment_12810" align="alignleft" width="170" caption="The musket is an enduring symbol that embodies the spirit of the minuteman and the National Guard."]
“It very much signifies the role of the Citizen Soldier. In old times, the minuteman would have set down the plowshare and picked up the arms,” added Smith.
The original Newtowne musket was made in Massachusetts during the first half of the 17th century and was used to arm the militia. Its place of origin, Newtowne, Mass., was established as an outpost of Boston in 1631.
The replica is based on an original musket that is on display in the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent exhibit on American military history.