Blacksmith

Posts Tagged ‘Anderson’s’

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James Anderson was a blacksmith and entrepreneur who played an essential role in the American Revolution. Opening his shop in the 1760s, he made and repaired ironwork for private customers and became the public armorer for the government of Virginia. His workers cleaned and repaired weapons for the Revolutionary army. The demands placed on Anderson’s shop by government contracts contributed to its growth into a small industrial complex just behind Williamsburg’s Duke of Gloucester Street. This film tells the story of the re-creation of Anderson’s shop, a project that was undertaken for visitors to Colonial Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg: Forged in Wood, Building Anderson’s Blacksmith Shop

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Forged in Wood (1987, 28 minutes) The re-creation of James Anderson’s blacksmith shop provided a challenge for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s architectural historians and tradespeople. The materials and finish had to be appropriate to a working building: bare framing covered with split oak clapboards. Housewrights felled trees in the surrounding forests and converted them into building timbers with broadaxes and pit saws. Century-old white oak trees were split and shaved into thousands of boards used to cover the roof and sides. The blacksmiths forged hinges, tools, and thousands of nails so the work could be authentic down to the last detail. Extra Feature The Cooper’s Craft (1967, 32 minutes) The cooper works through the demanding process of creating a barrel. Using no measuring tool other than his own eyesight, the master cooper precisely cuts the wood into staves, then bevels, shapes, and smoothes and fits components. Tools: Working Wood in the Eighteenth Century (1993, 20 minutes) While exhibiting their crafts, the cabinetmaker, cooper, carpenter, and basketmaker of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Trades discuss the importance of tools, then and now. Many of the tools shown were created by the blacksmith.

Forged in Wood- Building Anderson’s Blacksmith Shop