Cut & Thrust Museum
211-213 West Main St.
Kutztown, PA 19530

According to my best information the Cut and Thrust Museum has closed its doors. If different information comes to light it will be posted here.

Part museum, part sales gallery, Cut and Thrust offers fascinating exhibits of edged weapons and other militaria. The Museum got its name from the two major types of swords: the cutting sword is used to slash an enemy, while the thrusting sword is used to "stick them," in the words of owner and curator Ron Howell.

Howell began collecting knives and blades at age eleven when his uncle, the late Gene Miller, gave him his first sword. The same uncle is also the donor of the Museum's most prized item, a beautiful and massive saber that was given to Revolutionary War major John Lily by General Lafayette. Lily, who had served under Lafayette, went on to become the first superintendent at West Point. The sword is displayed in a unique cylindrical plexiglass case that can be rotated for complete viewing.

Weaponry dating back as far as 2,000 B.C. can be seen here, including swords, daggers, crossbows, battle axes, and other edged weapons, as well as old firearms. Just a few of the unique items on display include

• an original uniform of the Queen's Royal Bodyguard (c. 1830-1840)
• an original Gothic suit of armor (c. 1520 - 1530)
• an 1850 vampire killing kit (which must have been quite effective, witness today's lack of vampires!)
• a death mask of Napoleon
• the Cannon of Acre (c. 1840)

The Cannon resided in the Tower of London for a time after it was captured from Pasha Ibrham by Sir Robert Stopford during his siege of Fort Acre in Israel. Other items that can be seen include historic letters and documents, and a sacrificial Gri-Guk and human skull from Tibet. The skull -- actually just the top part -- is believed to have belonged to an unfortunate monk. It was said that those who drank from such a vessel acquired the owner's wisdom.All tours are Self-Guided, and though there are no formal programs, a visit is a very different approach to the past.Other rooms of the converted bank building contain galleries where consignees and dealers have similar items for sale. Howell does a brisk business here, drawing clients from around the nation.