The STone Blacksmith Shop

  Donna et al:  Below is the sign as i have tweaked it AFTER discovering that the Ox sling and forge pictured  are probably NOT from the Chesterfield BS Shop.

  SEPT 22:
1)   Should we use the modern interior pictures - misleading?
On our BS sign as of now, we show 2 interior pictures of the shop as it is now at the Big E (Storrowtown Village). The Storrowtown website audio (SEE BELOW) states/implies that the forge and the ox sling were NOT in our Blacksmith shop in Chesterfield.  It is quite specific on the ox sling, and not as specific on the forge. It also says that an ox sling would not have been placed inside a building.  So our sign is misleading as it suggests that both were here in Chesterfield.

SO- if our sign is about the Chesterfield Blacksmith shop, why do we feature the Storrowton version of the BS shop?   I suppose we could use those 2 pictures if we added text saying that these were not in Chesterfield, but why feature the Storrowtown replica except with the one exterior pic?

What is the purpose of our sign?
To tell people that we had this nifty old stone  BS shop here in Chesterfield and also several other stone buildings.  Everything on our sign should be focused on our purpose
2) Low level plagiarism. 
Some  sign text on the left side is taken verbatim  from the Storrowtown website. Not that big a deal but why use some one else's work?
3)  Fact Checking
Several "facts" I have reviewed since I was asked to add a map to the poster were wrong, such as location of the Fletcher house, the owner's name (Henry, not Rodney), caption on the main BS picture (names reversed), city location of Storrowtown Village etc.  Considering this pattern, every fact to be on the poster should be checked before a $1700 sign is erected.

====================  Sept 12 ==================

Designs for a sign to be Placed at the
Chesterfield Historical Society building
 below:    Sept 10 Edition.  
1)  Notice the new "sub-title" explaining why we have this sign erected. Do you like these words?
2) more fact checking is underway -  This AM I discovered that the Ox Sling was NOT in the original BS shop. Our sign is misleading.

 BELOW:

Transcription of the Storrowtown Village Audio on the BS Shop    Sept 2024

Welcome to the Clark blacksmith shop, built in 1852 from Chesterfield, NH, currently used as a space for our blacksmithing program, the Clark Blacksmith Shop is one of the few buildings where it is utilized for its original trade. When this building was originally built, this would have been considered an unusual blacksmith shop. Unusual features include granite walls, windows, and what would have been a pumpkin wood flooring. This blacksmith shop was built by Joseph and Asra Neeland Clark and was the 3rd shop that they had built after the first two burned down. The granite walls would have made it less likely to catch fire. The windows would have allowed for more light to come into the dark shop and the wooden floors would have provided for a warmer base than the dirt floors that were the most economic.

Blacksmithing was learned by an apprenticeship starting at 14 or 15 years old. Boys would apprentice under a master blacksmith, working their way up to the status of journeymen. In some instances where blacksmiths were highly needed, an apprentice took on the status of a half way journeyman, meaning that they had ended their apprenticeship early and could find work at other shops. The title master blacksmith was not often achieved, not due to lack of skill but lack of money. Being a master blacksmith meant you were required to have your own shopping tools, something that most could not afford. The Clark Blacksmith shop has remained as original as it could be, with some exceptions due to lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, when the building was moved here in 1930, the original forge was not in the building. Due to this, they could only really guess as to where the forge would have gone. Another piece, not original to this building is the Ox Sling placed indoors. This ox sling would have been originally placed outdoors and raised up the ox to assist with showing the animal.

 Chesterfield as a whole was an industrial community with one of the first mills being established in 1800. This town was founded in 1735, while New Hampshire was still included under Massachusetts. From 1800 up until the late 19th century, Chesterfield factory village boomed. The Cheshire County Gazetter profiled the village in 1885 as “a busy post village located on the outlet for the lake, it has one church, two stores, one hotel, a village hall, brush handle factory, bit and auger factory, sash and blind factory, pail factory, grist mill, wagon shop, shingle mill, wheel head and spinning wheel shop, a steamed sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and about 75 dwellings.”

Joseph and Azra Neeland Clark manufactured rims for wheels highlighted by the large stone wheel set into the brick walkway to the right of the blacksmith shop. Unfortunately, Joseph Clark passed away before the 3rd iteration of his blacksmith shop could be completed. It was his son Azra who took up the torch and continued the business until 1868. While Storrowtown Village isn't aware of any female blacksmiths operating under the clerks, it would not have been unusual for a female blacksmith to be seen working in a shop.
=========================   Civil War stuff below – not useful for Chesterfield ==============

BELOW   Sept 4 Edition

September 4  TO DO:   - needs heavier lines on maps...borders...
one person suggested omit the two interiors as they are not very crisp

                   - BS shop location wrong!  about 1/4 mile north...
                   - Rodney Fletcher house location wrong!  find it

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 Below:     Original suggestion from Donna ---- no longer in the works.