Thank you to the Glidden Homestead for setting up this month’s display case, featuring the Phineas W. Vaughan Blacksmith Shop!
Get a closer look at some of the beautiful handcrafted items made in the shop, and find more information about how to get started in blacksmithing.
On Sundays when the Homestead is open, volunteer blacksmiths demonstrate the old-time trade as they shape hot iron with ultimate patience into useful tools and household items. The clanging of hammer against iron and the glowing of the embers in the forge transport visitors back in time—to the era when the blacksmith was one of the most important tradesmen in the village, and Phineas Vaughan helped Joseph Glidden turn an ordinary coffee grinder into a revolutionary barbed-wire maker.
Under the direction of head blacksmith Martin O’Connor, the shop is open to both experienced blacksmiths and those who would like to learn the craft and become volunteers. Pieces hand-forged by Homestead blacksmiths are available to purchase in the Gift Shop and support museum operations.
Find out more at their website.
