Keeping Alive the Traditional Skill of Blacksmithing
At the gateway to the Great Road Heritage Campus at Chase Farm Park sits the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop. The original shop, begun in 1880, was donated by the Hannaway family to the Town of Lincoln and moved to this site in 1989. Today, the traditions of turn-of-the-century blacksmithing have returned. The original tools used by William Hannaway over 100 years ago hang once again in the shop.
The sounds of hammering on the anvil and odor of coal and hot steel returned to the Hannaway Shop in 2004 as turn-of-the-century blacksmithing demonstrations and classes take place in the original shop.
The Hearthside Gift Shop carries a selection of some of the items made by Hearthside’s blacksmith. Each item has a hand-crafted beauty that is slightly different and unique. These items are not simple “produced” but rather the blacksmith uses traditional blacksmithing techniques to transform the metal into the design he wants. Properly hot forged iron work will not fall apart, as mass-produced items do, so these items are designed to last for many generations to come.
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Blacksmithing Classes
Just as the blacksmith once had to manufacture a wide variety of household hardware, farm tools and horseshoes, the process of shaping steel or iron into intricate designs still has to be done by hand with forge and anvil. Today’s blacksmith carries on this honorable old trade by hand forging household items such as fireplace tools, decorative wrought iron hooks, curtain rods, handles, drawer pulls and cabinet knobs.
With a goal to insure that the traditional skill of blacksmithing will carry on to future generations, the Friends of Hearthside developed an ongoing program of hand-forging classes held every weekend. Classes are designed for those with an interest in learning the fundamentals of hand forging or continuing their education in the craft and are limited to just two students per two hour class, allowing hands-on, one-on-one instruction. Students work at the coal burning forge to bend and twist the hot medal into useful and decorative items of their own choice. With only wood planks for walls and a dirt floor, it is much like working outdoors so students are advised to dress appropriately for this authentic experience.
Classes are held on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every other Saturday morning at the same times. Open to teens and adults, with a minimum age requirement of 11. Youth under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Students are offered flexibility in scheduling so that their only commitment is on a class-by-class basis with no expectation for an ongoing schedule.
Classes are purchased through the Gift Shop section on this website. Regular classes are two hours each, with a one-hour option for younger students who may not have the stamina for the full two-hour class. Once class time is purchased, register for the date and time you wish by emailing info@hearthsidehouse.org. Check the Hannaway Schedule schedule for dates.
