Blacksmith Shop - Hopewell Furnace

Blacksmith at work

NPS photo/Lange

The blacksmith shop was one of the busiest and most important places in Hopewell. The skill of the blacksmith in making and repairing iron objects made him a necessary worker at Hopewell Furnace and nearly every other community in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. He shaped shoes for the horses and mules that were essential for the furnace operations. He made nails, hinges, hooks, wagon parts, tools, and repaired all the iron fixtures of the furnace's machinery. Little wonder why his work kept him busy 6 days a week and on call 24 hours to maintain the furnace's operation.

The importance of the Blacksmith and other iron workers illustrate the influence of iron in early America. Iron and its derivative, steel, were the most commonly used metals for making man made objects. As the industrial revolution expanded, iron would play an ever-increasing roll in the nation's economic and industrial development.