Kennedy Brothers Arms Co. info?

BibleronKJV · Nov 6, 2015

I just received factory letter on my prewar 38/44 and it went to Kennedy Brothers Arms Co. in Minneapolis, MN. Have not been able to find out much about this company. Anyone have any info? Did they supply guns to law enforcement? Thanks, Ron

DCWilson · Nov 6, 2015

Here's a verbatim re-post of something I said in another thread.

Kennedy Brothers Arms Co. of St. Paul was said to have been founded shortly after the Civil War and was still in business at least into the 1950s. I haven't found references to the business in more recent decades, but then I haven't looked that hard.

Teddy Roosevelt bought a couple of long guns from them at some point. The company issued periodic catalogs which are available from time to time at Ebay and similar places.

I don't know if the company was involved in purchases for local LE agencies. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that they were.

BibleronKJV · Nov 6, 2015

David, Thanks for the info on Kennedy Brothers. I have checked online and find very little info on them. I will try ebay and see if I can locate an old catalog. Regards, Ron

Absalom · Nov 6, 2015

Cornell Publications has one old catalog reprinted, probably before the time you need. If you've searched the web, you've probably found the collage of letterheads suggesting the address change from St. Paul to Minneapolis below.

Cornell Publications -Kennedy Bros (St. Paul) Hunting & Fishing 1910 Catalog

Absalom · Nov 6, 2015

One of their shops at Third and Robert, St. Paul, around 1900.

Inside view of their retail store, St. Paul, undated.

Storefront in the 1940s, I assume in Minneapolis.

Unfortunately, the thumbnails of the first two are no longer source-supported on the web forums where they were originally posted, so this is the best quality available.

BibleronKJV · Nov 6, 2015

Absalom, Thank you for the pix. Looks like a store which I would feel right at home in. Was hoping that the 38/44 would have lettered to a known individual, but it does not change how nice the gun is today. thanks again, Ron

Goblin · Nov 8, 2015

Ahlman's is Southwest of the twin cities, but it has a long and rich history. You could give them a call and see if anyone there knows about Kennedy.

BibleronKJV · Nov 8, 2015

Thanks, Goblin, I may just contact them to see what they can offer. Regards, Ron

cewlugers · Sep 21, 2024

L.F. Kennedy Gun Co. Minneapolis

I have an L.F. Kennedy Gun Co. Minneapolis "Moose Brand" logo RED HEAD full cover flap holster for an Old Model 120 mm barrel 30 Cal Luger. Other than the holster I cannot find any info on the L.F. Kennedy Gun Co., Minneapolis other4 than it existed. Any info would be helpful. Sincerely, Charles.

paplinker · Sep 21, 2024

cewlugers said:
I have an L.F. Kennedy Gun Co. Minneapolis "Moose Brand" logo RED HEAD full cover flap holster for an Old Model 120 mm barrel 30 Cal Luger. Other than the holster I cannot find any info on the L.F. Kennedy Gun Co., Minneapolis other4 than it existed. Any info would be helpful. Sincerely, Charles.

I have a 38/44 OD that shipped to Kennedy Brothers Arms Co in ST Paul Minn shipped 3-2-1933

I also have an original catalog with the same name in 1933 catalog no 154

I assume your holster is older than 1933 as I found no reference to Moose holsters in the catalog.

They had two stores or changed the name by 1933 I would surmise.

bullmack · Sep 22, 2024

I did a Newspapers.com search for Kennedy Bros. Arms and found the following;
- Oldest add/article was from 1886.
- Last one was in 1952 when a wife of one of the Founders died.
- By the 1920's they had added anything sports or outdoors related to their merchandise. (Evinrude motors)
- They started in St. Paul and opened a 2nd store in Minneapolis.
- In 1930 they suffered a theft of 30 handguns that were all typical of what gangs carried.

Model19man · Sep 22, 2024

bullmack said:
I did a Newspapers.com search for Kennedy Bros. Arms and found the following;
- Oldest add/article was from 1886.
- Last one was in 1952 when a wife of one of the Founders died.
- By the 1920's they had added anything sports or outdoors related to their merchandise. (Evinrude motors)
- They started in St. Paul and opened a 2nd store in Minneapolis.
- In 1930 they suffered a theft of 30 handguns that were all typical of what gangs carried.

This is interesting to me because I grew up in the area. Minneapolis and St. Paul are directly across the Mississippi from one another but they have very different characters.

mikerjf · Sep 22, 2024

That address - 326 Nicollet Ave - is today the Minneapolis Public Library, a block-size building that I first saw in the late 1960's on a school tour of their planetarium.

In times past this was the Minneapolis "Gateway District", which concentrated bars, flophouses, etc into a small area due to liquor law zoning. A real skid row, which helped Washington Ave retain it's bad image even in my day. They bulldozed a lot of it, losing the historic Metropolitan building in the process.

The rise and fall of Minneapolis’ Gateway District - MinnPost

Picture below is from 1937. Kennedy's shop would have been down the left street about a block, on the right. Looks like a "restful" neighborhood!

I remember reading that in Gateway Park at that end of Nicollet Ave was at one time (way way back) a single giant lightpole that was supposed to function as a streetlight for the entire city.

paplinker · Sep 22, 2024

I am curious if L F Kennedy arms existed at the same time as Kennedy bros.

Was L F Kennedy a second store or if maybe a grandson or something opened their own shop.

bullmack · Sep 24, 2024

paplinker said:
I am curious if L F Kennedy arms existed at the same time as Kennedy bros.

Was L F Kennedy a second store or if maybe a grandson or something opened their own shop.

I did some more digging. PJ Kennedy and MF Kennedy were the Founders of Kennedy Bros. Arms and ran both stores. MF was a renowned gunsmith. The St. Paul store was destroyed on 11/23/1920 in a fire.

LF Kennedy was related and owned an auto dealership but as far as I can tell was not connected to Kennedy Bros. Arms.

camphale · Sep 25, 2024

Kennedy Bros. Arms Co. also made snowshoe bindings as pictured below on a pair of Strand 1941 dated trail snowshoes for the Army in World War II.

https://imgur.com/a/VCKcZB8

Kennedy Brothers Arms Co. info?

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