Blacksmiths were the most numerous craftsmen in North America.

There were many specializations within the blacksmithing trade. There were locksmiths, gunsmiths, whitesmiths, shipsmiths, anvil and heavy-tool makers, spoonsmiths, cutlers, ferriers, nailers, and carriage-smiths, etc.

The blacksmith that most people think of is the village smith. He shoed horses, repaired wagons and carriages … in fact he repaired all broken iron and steel items. His shop was the source of hardware that was made to fit specific applications, or what was not available from a local merchant.

His shop was a busy place. Men talked and gossiped while waiting for their work to be done. Children hung around the smithy (blacksmith) and watched the smith and his apprentice forge the hot iron into its final shape. The smith and his helper worked steadily, moving from forge to anvil and back again to heat the iron and shape it. The clicking of the bellows and the gentle roar of the forge fire alternating with the ring of hammers and hot iron on the anvil was hypnotizing.

Sometimes, there was bench work to be done, and the screech of a file on cold steel would grate on the ears. Horses waiting to be shod would stamp and whinny.

The blacksmith here at the plantation spent most of his day repairing worn tools and equipment.

At different times of the year plows, corn knives, and harrows needed sharpening. All year the draught animals had to kept trimmed and healthy. Years ago most people took their horses and mules to the smith if they were sick or lame. Most farm smiths were veterinarians, there were few true veterinarians that weren’t smiths in the country.

By the middle of the 19th century most metal goods were purchased in hardware stores or through catalogues. By the Civil War, traditional smiths made axes, door latches, hinges, locks, and many blacksmith and wagon-wright tools. This left blacksmiths doing a lot of repair work.

Smithies had their own smell too, smoke, dust and hot iron smells mingled with animal smells.