Born October 4, 1804, Lee, NH.
Died December 24, 1877, Cold Spring, NY, Age 73.
Cullum number 363.
The West Point foundry was located in the village of Cold Spring,
NY. Only ruins remain today in Foundry
Cove. Today there is a museum
telling about the foundry. Here are some shells
from Parrott
cannons which are for sale. By going to the National Archives and Records
Administration's NARA
Archival Information Locator (NAIL) and searching for "Parrott" one
will find some nice pictures of the Parrott gun as well as some information
on videos.
On 22 July 2000, I went on a hike through the West Point Foundry Preserve. One of the people on the tour was Hugh O. Muir of the Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum. We headed down into the valley across from the parking lot of Downey Oil (at the corner of Route 9D and Chestnut in Cold Spring, NY) where we saw the remains of a dam, the base of a iron smelting furnace, a holding pond that served as a battery for the bellows that fanned the fire, parts of several old buildings, and the shell of the office building of 1865. Nothing has been restored. I am told that there is a lot of information in the museum, but need to go take a look. There was no information about Parrott the individual on the tour, and scant information about his guns. But it was very nice to see the location. The smaller guns were tested by firing at Crow's Nest, the larger ones (300 pounders) at Storm King; the government would not take posession of the guns until they had been fired.
Marguerita Z. Herman [herman@highlands.com] is on the Board of Trustees of the Society and I sent her email asking about the library.
His obituary was printed in the 1878 Annual Reunion volume. This indicates that he was a great friend of Professor Church, so should look at his Cullum file for correspondence.
REFERENCES:
De Peyster, Frederic, 1796-1882, Memoir of Robert Parker Parrott, New York : [s.n.], 1878.Description, 16 p. ; 29 cm. Memoir and resolutions prepared for and read at a meeting of the Hoffman Fire Insurance Company of New York. Spec copy inscribed by author. SPECIAL COLL-FL 4: CT275.P386 D3.
Paulding, J.N., The Cannon and Projectiles Invented by Robert Parker Parrott, New York, 1979.
Smith, Francis Henney, 1812-1890, USMA 1833, Letter, 1878 April 26, Lexington, Virginia [to] John M. Schofield [1831-1906, USMA 1853], 7 p. ; 25 x 20 cm. Superintendent, VMI, 1840-1889. Letter discusses the Parrott gun. Holograph signed. U.S. Military Academy Library, Special Collections.
http://www.civilwarartillery.com/inventors/ParrottBio.htm
Revised 24 July 2000, 4 April, 2003.