From the dawn of the Iron Age through the 19th century, the blacksmith trade grew in demand in tandem with the rise of agriculture and built civilization. The importance of the blacksmith through all those eons can’t be overstated. His place in industrializing society seemed permanently assured. But then, something happened: machines appeared. In Appalachia, [...]
1 commentsAs the horse is becoming less and less important, the blacksmith shop, so intimately connected with horses, is becoming rare. There was a time when the shop shared with the general store the honor of being a loafers’ joint. Ostensibly the people who gathered at the blacksmith shop had come on business, but one was [...]
1 commentsA few years ago the blacksmith was the very heart and center from which the great machine world grew. In your grandfather’s time the blacksmith shod horses, made plough points, built wagons and carriages, and made all kinds of tools and implements. He could turn his hand to making guns or clocks or locks and [...]
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