Blacksmith Shop

A ringing anvil and glowing forge signaled that the blacksmith was at work, and the blacksmith's skill, stamina, and strength were important in constructing machinery and maintaining ironworkers' equipment. Using simple tools and muscle-powered bellows, a good smith could bend, weld, twist, and punch tough wrought iron. Although steel was not made at the ironworks, it was imported for the smith's use and valued for the hardness it gave to needed edged tools. Because sources for iron tools and hardware were sometimes unreliable, some early settlers who had learned trades such as cutler or gunsmith adapted their skills to meet the broader demands of their neighbors. For these blacksmiths and their customers in surrounding communities, a local source of iron was important, and these skilled tradesmen fashioned a wide variety of utilitarian objects for family, farm, and industry.

Saugus, Massachusetts · United States