The Village Blacksmith

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands. 

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man. 

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low. 

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And bear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor. 

This is from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow first published in 1841.  Longfellow said that the poem was inspired by his ancestor Stephen Longfellow, who had been a blacksmith.

A livery stable on 6th Street in Grants Pass next to the Golden Rule building.

Blacksmithing is one of Josephine County's oldest professions.

There is no conclusive evidence, but there may have been blacksmiths as early as 6000 BC.  Surprisingly, it was not an occupation held only by men.  During the Middle Ages there were many women blacksmiths.

Many people think a blacksmith is one who shoes horses, but that is just one small part of the trade.  When European settlers were first establishing themselves in America, blacksmiths were indispensable.  They made farm implements, weapons, nails, and cookware, etc.

In the 1900's blacksmiths were being replaced by machinists, because of the need to make products in greater number and more quickly.

In order to supplement their income, they began shoeing horses.  Later, when automobiles became commonplace, many blacksmiths became auto mechanics.

 

Today, blacksmiths are true artisans.  You can see creations by modern-day blacksmiths everywhere you go.  Fencing around schools and cemeteries, the lampposts downtown, chandeliers, sconces, decorative wall-art in our homes, are but a few of the items they are crafting today.

The blacksmithing profession has been forced to reinvent itself, but those historic skills are still being used today.