BLACKSMITH

In Colonial times, the blacksmith’s hammer and anvil were among the most important tools of the town. In his shop, the skilled tradesman and his apprentices plied their trade as the bellows wheezed.

Combining fire, forge and hammer blow, the blacksmith’s sinewy arms pounded red-hot iron into useful shapes for household, farm and palace. Williamsburg residents called daily to purchase hooks, hinges and other hardware, andirons, fireplace tools and cooking and kitchen utensils. They shuffled in from fields and kitchens bearing broken wares, seeking the blacksmith’s skill and strength to repair them.

You can witness the might and finesse of this colonial figure at work before a fire of bituminous coal in the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop. Or simply partake of his wares in our shop. Items for sale were fashioned with sledges weighing as much as 10 pounds, wielded just as they were in the manufacture of stirrups and wagon wheels, door locks and iron gates when George Wythe and his contemporaries strolled 18th-century Williamsburg’s bustling streets.

For inquiries or purchases please contact Prentis Store at 757-229-1000, Extension 2117 or prentis@cwf.org.