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Christian Oerter owned the first gunsmith shop in Northampton County. He had been originally employed by the Moravian community seminary, but op-ened his own gunshop outside of Nazareth Pennsylvania at the location
of Christian Springs. A most often pictured rifle of his is that carried by Edward Marshall, the man noted for his famous run to acquire lands from the Delawares. This rifle is very similar to two other rifles of Oerters. One was captured by an English officer during the Revolutionary War and resides in the Tower of London Museum. The other was stolen (and is still missing) from the Valley Forge Historical Museum.