May 1, 1925

Bill Moran Jr. was born in Frederick, Maryland; his father was successful in the oil business in Pennsylvania. Moran was the father of both the American Bladesmith movement and the modern forging of Damascus steel. Moran rediscovered the ancient process of making Damascus steel (layered steel) and incorporated this steel into his knives. The Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing is located on the grounds of Historic Washington State Park in Hempstead County, near where many historians believe the legendary local blacksmith, James Black, created the bowie knife sometime in the 1820s. Moran’s legacy added to the historic fabric of Arkansas’s knife heritage and helped preserve the timeless art of knife making.