Francis Bannerman family photographs

Francis Bannerman Son was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City over three generations.

The firm was founded in 1865 by Francis Bannerman VI (1851-1918) and his wife Helen "Nellie" Boyce Bannerman (1852-1931) as an offshoot of his family's ship chandlery and military salvage business located near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. His father, Francis Bannerman V (circa 1820-1872), had first purchased military goods at scrap prices in the demobilization at the end of the Civil War. Francis VI began by selling potatoes and apples in season, along with hardware purchased at government auctions. By 1880, he was selling mostly government surplus arms and military supplies. Around 1890, Bannerman acquired the Spencer Arms Company, manufacturers of repeating shotguns. He moved his store to Manhattan in 1897, where it soon became noteworthy as a museum of modern and antique weaponry and military memorabilia. To store his vast quantities of arms and ammunition, Bannerman bought Pollepel Island in the Hudson River Highlands in 1900 and erected Bannerman's Island Arsenal and a summer residence, patterned after the castles of the family's native Scotland.

On January 1, 1917, Bannerman turned the business over to his sons Francis VII (1873-1946) and David (1875-1957) as the partnership of Francis Bannerman Sons. In 1958, David's son Charles S. Bannerman (1905-1976) incorporated the business and became president, but he was a relatively passive representative of the family interest, the day-to-day affairs being in the hands of career employees. The business was downsized and moved to Long Island the following year. Pollepel Island was sold to the state in 1967, and the buildings were gutted by fire in 1969.