Messer (weapon) of several "Fechtbücher" (fighting manuals) of the 14th and 15th centuries, including that of Johannes Lecküchner (dealing with the "langes messer"), the "Codex Wallerstein", Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Kal and Albrecht Dürer. Messer (weapon) A messer (German for "knife") is a single-edged sword with a knife-like hilt construction. While the various names are often used synonymously, messers are divided into two types: "Lange Messer" ("long knives") are one-handed swords used by Bourgeoisie (middle-class civilians) for personal self-defence. They were about a meter long and may have evolved from the "Bauernwehr" ("peasant's sidearm"). They are also known as "Großes Messer" (Great Knife).
John Messer Barn John Messer Barn The John Messer Barn is a historic structure within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier valley, it was constructed in 1875 by Pinkney Whaley. The Whaleys later sold their farm to John H. Messer, who was married to Pinkney's cousin, Lucy. In the 1930s, the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, which constructed the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club Cabin nearby, leased the barn from the National Park Service. The barn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and is the