David Stavlo, noted firearm historian, gunsmith, and author will present a program on antique American firearms on Sunday, February 4 at 1:00 p.m. in Whitewater. The presentation is being sponsored by the Whitewater Historical Society and will be held at the Cravath Lakefront Community Building, off Whitewater Street [341 S. Fremont Street.) The presentation is free and open to the public.

Stavlo has been working in the antique firearm industry for more than 15 years. He is the owner of Lodgewood MFG, a full service antique firearms shop that specializes in the repair, restoration, and sale of antique firearms dating from c.1445-1945. Stavlo’s work has been showcased in many publications, including Guns of the Old West, and American Rifleman magazines and on television and film productions. Stavlo has shared his knowledge of antique firearms through many presentations at institutions and organizations around the Midwest, from the Kenosha Civil War Museum to the Ohio Gun Collectors Association.

Stavlo’s presentation for the Whitewater Historical Society event is “An Introduction to Antique American Firearms, From Colonization to the Civil War,” and will outline the changes in American firearm development over a roughly 250 year span, from the first English settlements on the east coast to the Civil War era. Stavlo will show several original firearms from his personal collection of antique firearms.