Meet a blacksmith in a colonial town. Watch live demonstrations, learn blacksmithing history, and enjoy hands-on activities. Perfect for families!
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60 Harding Rd - It used to be that every town had a blacksmith - they were the most essential tradesmen. In this engaging tour you will meet a working blacksmith who helps keep this age-old craft alive. Visit his small backyard shed and learn how the artist’s hammer helps to meld and bend metal into recognizable objects. Discover how hand-made tools were made and used and handed down for generations and the process of converting coal to coke in the forge.
Blacksmithing is a craft that combines material science, the technical knowledge of how to manipulate metal, skilled hand-eye coordination, malleability, chemical reactions, and destructive distillations.
You’ll watch forging and hammer work and see tools that have been handed down for generations. Learn what drives us to continue this ancient craft and a blacksmith’s role in society both past and present.
Blacksmith visit: 45 minutes to 1 hour. Optional: Combine with a kid’s craft: Try your hand at blacksmithing by using modeling clay and a mallet, and block. Experiment with material and how it can be shaped and molded.
The activity starts in blacksmith shed and if craft is included, ends in kitchen of colonial home. Leave with a souvenir hook.
- Discover blacksmithing materials
- Learn how a forge works
- Explore age-old blacksmithing techniques
- Forge may or may not be lit depending on weather conditions and timing
Blacksmiths are a rarity in our mass produced age. You can meet and watch a working blacksmith who has created objects ranging from tools to hangers and hooks to artisan art creations. Watch him at his craft and see authentic blacksmith tools. Learn about how history of blacksmithing had an important role in colonial towns like Lexington. Discover blacksmithing materials, how a forge works, and the science behind blacksmithing, including how coal turns into coke and how temperature affects the malleability of metal. Optional: kids can do clay craft to experiment with moulding and shaping Enjoy homemade corn bread and lemonade after and go home with a blacksmith souvenir.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.