Bernie Paulson and his twin brother Bruce had a blast firing cannons and making them for historic sites and reenactors. Bernie is being remembered for his good cheer and dedication to craftsmanship

Bruce Paulson (left), his son Bernie, center, and Bruce's brother, Bernie, at right)

Bernie and Bruce Paulson were born to work with their hands. As teens, the Wisconsin twins invented a mechanized bean picker, and an advertisement claimed with enthusiasm that it could outwork 100 laborers.

The lads made other farm products, but their hearts – and hands – eventually focused on full-time production of artillery ammunition, gun carriages and parts for reenactors and government-operated parks.

It was a great fit, given they had been fascinated by the Civil War since childhood.

“We would make toy guns out of wood and arm all the kids … and play in the neighborhood,” Bruce said of their years in Clayton, Wisc.

Making huge guns kept Paulson Brothers Ordnance Corporation busy for decades. But now, sadly, the business in Clear Lake will be largely shutting down. It’s the proverbial end of an era.

Bernie, 85, died last month, of a likely heart attack, family members say.

“Bernie always said he would die at PBO. That’s pretty much what he did,” said his nephew Bernie. (The twins named their sons after each other).

Now, Bruce is navigating life without a sibling he worked with his whole life. “I knew him like I know myself.” While Bernie came into the business nearly every day, Bruce had slowed down a bit. 

He is ready to retire.

“We are still selling online. I am trying to sell off a lot of the inventory, if I can,” Bruce told the Picket in a recent phone call. Bruce’s son will continue to make ammunition and use the company website.

The identical siblings -- who dressed in matching green work clothes -- were renowned in the field for their craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Exterior of PBO in Clear Lake, Wisc. (Courtesy Bernie Paulson)

I spoke with Bernie in 2024 after the U.S. Army turned to experts when an unusual artillery shell – believed at first to possibly date to the Civil War -- was found on a training range at Fort McCoy, Wis. It turned out to be a replica made and fired by the Paulson brothers decades ago.

Thomas Bailey, who operates Historical Ordnance Works in Woodstock, Ga., participated years ago in Midwest gun firings with the Paulsons. Some might say his company is a competitor of PBO, but Bailey calls it a “working partner relationship.”  

Bailey drove to Wisconsin last week to reminisce with the Paulson family and purchase a wagon and gun carriage parts.

A few artillery pieces sit in front of the one-story facility not far from where Bernie lived. Their operation is about an hour east of Minnesota’s Twin Cities. (At right, a traveling forge in the facility, courtesy Bernie Paulson)

Bailey, 69, who was born in Pittsburgh during the heyday of American steel, said the restoration work requires blacksmith, carpentry and painting skills.

Many of his cannon barrels and carriages are made for the National Park Service, including the Vicksburg and Shiloh sites. “The reenactor segment is pretty much dying off,” he added.

Bailey said a tool and die maker from Toledo, Ohio, provided services for him for about 15 years.

He mentioned the craftsman in a way that evokes the work of the Paulson brothers.

“How do you replace somebody like that? You don’t. When we die off, a lot of skills will go away.”

Zinc in shell fired at  Army fort provided a big clue

Stephen Osman, retired site manager of Historic Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, was among those contacted by the Army after the July 2024 mystery find at Fort McCoy. Could this be an authentic Civil War shell, as first believed? That seemed unlikely since the fort began operations in 1909.

The shell found at a Wisconsin training range (Claudia Neve/U.S. Army) and Bruce and Bernie (right) Paulson
on the set of "The Blue and the Gray" miniseries in 1981 (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

“There was no Civil War battle around here, no training from that era, so it left us wondering: how did it get here?” said garrison archaeologist Ryan Howell, according to an Army news release.

Osman took a look at the photos and determined the round was non-ferrous and – most importantly – was made by the Paulson brothers and fired by them at Fort McCoy, back when the Army allowed certain groups to use the site.

The siblings were known for using zinc, an element used postwar.

Two years ago, while working on that post, I contacted Osman, who has it turned out had been pards with Bernie and Bruce Paulson for 50 years. They traveled in the 1970s to historic sites around the country, setting off cannons and having a good time along the way.

“They’re just characters. I spent a lot of time with them,” said Osman, who served with the twins in the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry reenactment group.

He described them as exuberant and a force of nature, barging into a museum or military site with a host of questions. (Bruce, at left, and Bernie at their shop. Courtesy Bruce's son Bernie)

Their inquisitiveness, creativity and resolve made them leaders in the field of replica artillery, according to observers. Bernie was the more garrulous of the pair.

A relative said he will be remembered for his passion for history and craftsmanship. "He also love the excitement of shooting cannons at many different sites and sharing this unique hobby with family and friends," Carrie Paulson wrote on Facebook.

'There has to be absolute discipline'

The replica 10-pounder shell fired at Fort McCoy was an early prototype when the Paulsons were still figuring out how to make quality reproduction weapons. The shell either never made firm impact or the fuse popped out upon landing.

Bernie, then 83, told the Picket he and Bruce were making these in the 1970s and before they found drawings that helped them improve design and construction.

“You talk about crude,” he said of their fuses in the early days.

The Paulsons went to the West Point foundry and a New York library to dig deep into Civil War artillery, including the work of Alfred Mordecai and a muzzle-loading cannon and ammunition created by 19^th-century inventor Robert Parrott.

Since then, the brothers made or finished thousands of rounds and were well-known in the re-enacting community.

The important thing, Bailey recently said, is to know what you are doing and be safe -- attributes he claims the Paulsons had.

“They didn’t just build the gun carriages. They were historians. That is part of it. If you have never seen an original carriage, what do you do?”

Making artillery components and firing pieces requires common sense and a devotion to safety. 

A Paulson mortar being set up for Fort Sumter 150th event (Picket photo)

Bruce Paulson said he and Bernie had a perfect safety record when firing on ranges. Before 9/11, some military installations allowed trained outsiders to use the ranges, often to teach new soldiers about the evolution of artillery.

At those ranges, unlike public events, crews could fire live rounds.

“Follow the manual. When you are operating a cannon, go by the manual,” said Bruce. “Count off. Each man has a responsibility to do the job. There has to be absolute discipline … by doing that, you will be safe.”

Twins were fixtures in the community

Bernie Paulson is being remembered for his outgoing and unforgettable personality.

“They did everything together. I worked for them a few years,” said his nephew Bernie, 60, who does maintenance for an area school district. “They were like a married couple. They would get in their arguments. Five minutes later, it was like it never happened.”

Bruce recalls the brothers starting three businesses. They worked at farm equipment makers Pixall and Oxbo before working full time at PBO. (Newspaper ad about their green bean picker, left)

“I am generally the guy who takes care of the book work, the purchase orders and paying the bills.” Bernie was more of the online guy.

“That is what I am learning to do right now,” said Bruce.

He said the long-term goal is to sell their building once the inventory is gone. That includes a traveling forge, caisson, 20-pounder Parrott, a Rodman and more weapons and parts. All the cannon tubes are original.

“If you happened to visit the PBO shop you needed to be prepared to be there for several hours,” says Bernie's obituary.

The twins served as the “chain gang” for many Clear Lake football games with Bernie manning the down marker, the obit says. “They also traveled to California to be the cannon team experts on the TV show “Junkyard Wars.”

Bernie S. Paulson is survived by his wife, Heidi, son, Bruce (Annie), and grandson, Willie.

A celebration of his life is set for Oct. 3 at the Barn Again event center in Clayton.

The Army at first thought a shell found this summer on a Wisconsin range may have been from the Civil War. Who actually made the 10-pounder? These guys!

The shell found at a Wisconsin training range (Claudia Neve/U.S. Army) and Bruce and Bernie (right) Paulson
on the set of "The Blue and the Gray" miniseries in 1981 (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Stephen Osman has been pards with Bernie and Bruce Paulson for 50 years. They traveled in the 1970s to historic sites around the country, setting off cannons and having a good time along the way.

“They’re just characters. I spent a lot of time with them,” said Osman, who served with the identical twins in the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry reenactment group.

He describes them as exuberant and a force of nature, barging into a museum or military site with a host of questions. He jokes they even snore in tandem.

But when it comes to their occupation, the Paulsons are decidedly serious. Their inquisitiveness, creativity and resolve have made them leaders in the field of replica Civil War ammunition, cannons and gun carriages.

Osman’s friendship with the siblings, who operate Paulson Brothers Ordnance Corporation in Clear Lake, Wis., came full circle this summer, when the U.S. Army turned to experts after an unusual artillery shell – believed to possibly date to the Civil War -- was found on a training range at Fort McCoy, Wis.

Bernie Paulson in the large room that holds cannons, carriages and wagons (Courtesy John Phillips)

“There was no Civil War battle around here, no training from that era, so it left us wondering: how did it get here?” said garrison archaeologist Ryan Howell, according to an Army news release about the mystery find. Compounding the mystery was the ordnance had a spot for a fuse, common in the 19^th century.

The Army said the ammunition was rendered safe, but Osman  said black powder inside would long have been by ruined by rainfall.

Osman, retired site manager of Historic Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, was among those contacted by the Army. Could this be an authentic Civil War shell, as first believed? That seemed unlikely since the fort began operations in 1909.

Osman took a look at the photos and determined the round was non-ferrous and – most importantly – was made by the Paulson brothers and fired by them at Fort McCoy decades ago, back when the Army allowed certain groups to use the site. The siblings were known for using zinc, an element used postwar.

The bottom of the shell indicates it is a modern make (Claudia Neve / U.S. Army)

Another clue was the inscription “10 PDR” on the bottom of the shell, referring to it as a 10-pound round. That label did not appear on ammunition made during the war.

The replica shell was an early prototype when the twins were still figuring out how to make quality reproduction weapons. The shell either never made firm impact or the fuse popped out upon landing, Osman and Bernie Paulson said.

Bernie, 83, told the Picket in a recent phone call he and Bruce were making these in the 1970s and before they found drawings that helped them improve design and construction.

“You talk about crude,” he said of their fuses in the early days.

But the Paulsons went to the West Point foundry and a New York library to dig deep into Civil War artillery, including the work of Alfred Mordecai and a muzzle-loading cannon and ammunition created by 19^th-century inventor Robert Parrott.

The First Minnesota fires a mortar at Fort McCoy in the 1980s (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Since then, they have made or finished thousands of rounds and are well-known in the re-enacting community.

Thomas Bailey, who operates Historical Ordnance Works in Woodstock, Ga., said he participated in gun firings with the Paulsons several years back. Back then, that could be done on military ranges, including Camp Ripley in Minnesota.

“I shot with them numerous times and they like to do that as authentic as possible,” said Bailey. “I served on their 10-inch mortar, their heavy 12 (Napoleon) and a 20-pounder.”

He noticed something else about the interaction between Bruce and Bernie.

“They could anticipate the other man’s thoughts and facilitate that.” 

They have another lasting bond: Bernie's son is named Bruce, and Bruce's son is named Bernie.

The First Minnesota firing weapons in the early 1980s (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Historians' research saved shell from being blown up

It’s not uncommon for firing ranges or battlefields to be littered with unexploded ordnance. That was especially true during the Civil War, when artillery shells failed to go off for myriad reasons. Many Confederate shells fired at Gettysburg turned out to be duds, likely because of poor or ejected fuses.

Fort McCoy, in western Wisconsin, has an array of training – including firing ranges -- for the armed forces.

The artillery shell in question was found in July in what is called the Northern Impact Area, which has been operational since 1942. The Army did not provide details on whether it was found flat on the ground, protruding or otherwise.

The shell eventually will be displayed at Fort McCoy (Claudia Neve / U.S. Army)

An Army article earlier this month said a Wisconsin Air National Guard ordnance team was expected to blow the shell up. “Thankfully, before that was possible historians stepped in to do research on the possibly rare artifact,” the article said.

“Initial theories speculated that the artifact could have been a battlefield souvenir brought to the base during World War II, as it wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to collect items to take home.”

Tonya Townsell, public affairs officer for Fort McCoy, said Matt Flueger and Osman (right), both historians and collectors, were eventually consulted and Osman made the positive match with the Paulsons.

The Army news release highlighted the overlap between artifacts and modern weaponry.

 “Pictures of it fooled all the experts,” Howell concluded, “but in the end, what we found was not from the 1860s battlefield -- it was from a 1970s reenactment.”

The shell will eventually make its way to be on display at the Fort McCoy History Center, officials said.

It's one thing to read about fishing ...

Re-enactors including the Paulsons were permitted to fire replica and period cannon on the post between 1970 and 1991, Townsell told the Picket.

Bernie Paulson recalls the brothers and the First Minnesota firing various original artillery pieces once a year at Fort McCoy after the garrison gave them permission. (That ended after Sept. 11, 2001). The firings were closed to the general public, he said. “Let’s try it out at Fort McCoy to field test this equipment,” they thought at the time.

“Let’s just say you are an avid fisherman. You read all the books you can find about fishing and the bait. But it doesn’t do you any good unless you throw your line in the water.”

They brought in bigger guns, including a massive 13-inch seacoast mortar (above). Grainy videos on the Paulson Brothers website show crews in action and puffs of smoke at various locations. At Fort McCoy, their 10-pounder guns had an effective range of about one mile.

“The whole idea is you can bring Civil War cannon to an Army artillery range and fire live ammunition just like it was in the Civil War,” Bernie said.

'Risk takers' took their game to another level

According to news articles I have perused, the brothers had an interest in the Civil War since they were young. They first got into making garden and agricultural tools before turning to the Civil War. They love working with machinery.

Stephen Osman (with sword) next to the Paulsons in 1978 (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

“We were risk takers. We were always risk takers. We just happened to be successful,” Bruce told the Pioneer Press in 2015.

Their operation is about an hour east of the Twin Cities and they have restored or made new weapons. As Minnesota Public Radio points out, cannons and mortars are lined up outside and appear to be trained on a parking lot and buildings across the street.

The website lists metal gun carriages, cannonballs (minus explosive material), parts and implements, including sponges, buckets and spikes. The Paulsons formerly produced cannons.

As their research improved and production increased, the Paulsons became well-known in re-enacting circles. They were filmed for the 1982 TV miniseries “The Blue and the Gray,” starring Stacy Keach.

John Phillips, a Civil War reenactor and member of Battery I, 1^st U.S. Light Artillery, has toured the Paulsons’ building and uploaded six videos.

“As you can imagine, touring the Paulson museum holds quite a bit of history,” he told the Picket.

The brothers source their material from five foundries and often finish products before sale.

A couple cannoneering keepsakes in his garden

Osman, a collector who writes for a monthly newsletter for the Twin Cities Civil War Round Table, did not fire with the Paulsons at Fort McCoy, but he did at Camp Ripley. The twins recreated progressive rifling, he said.

Bailey, the Georgia ordnance seller, said the twins “are the first people in my lifetime that really started to produce Civil War artillery carriages and related vehicles.”

The brothers have slowed down a bit but are still actively in business. Osman keeps a couple Paulson shells (left) in a rock garden at his Minneapolis home.

Osman said the men are innovators in the field of explosive rounds.

“They were fanatics and tripled their effectiveness by learning and researching.”

I asked Osman for photos showing the Paulsons. One image is from “The Blue and the Gray” set (above), humorously holding cannon props.

The other was taken in 1978 of the First Minnesota re-enactors (also above).

Osman is in the front row, holding a sword and standing next to a drummer. The Paulsons are to his left.

I asked him to identify the pair.

“Gimme a break,” he said. “They are identical twins.”