Trapdoor Rifles

Bannerman's Island and their surplus store at 501 Broadway were filled with surplus and captured arms from the Spanish-American War, as well as literally tons of Civil War surplus, not just rifles and revolvers, bayonet and parts, but also artillery pieces and [LIVE!] artillery ammunition.

Here is Val Forgett, founder of Navy Arms, telling about his experiences clearing the explosive ordnance off the island, in a 38 minute video presentation:
https://youtu.be/rt-9ZijLNYQ

Thank you John. I knew the basic story, but that certainly fleshed it out.

Val deserves his own chapter in the book I should write... "Characters I Have Known". His whole life was one adventure after another.

Tony- Start writing about Val. PLEASE!
The only biographical stuff I have seen is mention in Bill Edwards' Civil War guns, now about 60 years old.

You are not obligated to do a whole book, or even a chapter, but at least tell us some stories, and maybe provide some images and references to other sources.
Thank you !

Bannerman's Island TODAY-
The island is now a state park, with boat service to take visitors out there.

The warehouses were mostly destroyed by a fire in August 1969, leaving only partial walls, but the family residence was mostly intact although severely damaged by neglect and weather.

Over the last 5-10 years, there has been a lot of work to stabilize the ruins and restore the family quarters and other points of interest and provide basic visitor services.

Here is a 5 minute video showing a visit to the Island on July 2, 2022. Quite a crowd, and it looks like it would be an interesting visit. I think the tours start in Beacon, NY.
https://youtu.be/PZ_G8CBq5oM