Anderson Blacksmith Shop

The Revolutionary War wasn't won through battles alone. To keep pace with the might of British industry, Virginia desperately needed a new armoury. Watch our blacksmiths take red-hot iron from the fires of their forges and hammer it into a variety of tools, hardware, and weapons. Blacksmiths begin their day by lighting fires in the forges outfitted with bellows and a hood to carry away smoke. Once the fires are roaring, they heat bars of iron and use sledges weighing up to 12 pounds to hammer the heated bars into various shapes. The Blacksmiths work with other trades to make tools and other materials, such as nails for the Carpenters.