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CONTACT:
Dean Dixon
Historical Resources Assistant
(941) 749-1800 ext. 4070
October 2002 Article
Introduction: The Manatee
County Historical Records Library is a wealth
of information about our local past. Documents from
as early as the 1850's describe the life and times
of Manatee County residents and weave many an interesting
tale. Each month, we will post a new story for you
based on documents in our library. We invite all of
you to come to the library, located
at 1405 4th Avenue West, to see these documents
for yourself and to touch, feel and experience our
heritage.
Manatee Blacksmith
Click
here to see a picture of a catalog with blacksmith's
tools
Who's the most important man in town? When there's
a house to be built or wagons to be repaired, when
there are tools to be made or repaired, when there
is something to be done that requires working with
iron, shaping it into something that serves a purpose,
the answer is the blacksmith. Before industrialization
and mass production made the hardware store possible,
the man who made and sold everything from hinges to
nails to eating utensils was the blacksmith and it's
hard to imagine how civilization would have come into
being without him.
Since humans first began using metal tools, those
with the skills to work the metal and make the tools
had a magician's aura about them. Without having any
of the answers that modern chemistry provides, these
craftsmen could heat and work the material using only
the color of the hot metal to guide them. They learned
how to strengthen the quality of the metal and to
blend metals making them stronger and better. The
skills and knowledge of working with metal became
a prized and guarded secret among early smiths and
they became indispensable to pre-industrialized society.
By the 19th century iron goods were vital to people's
lives. Tools to farm with, weapons of war, hinges
and nails; all were crafted by the blacksmith.
Whenever a blacksmith moved into an area, the community
developed around him. He spent his days by the fire,
swinging a hammer, pounding an anvil. He made his
wears for the farmer, the shipbuilder and the storekeeper.
He worked long days and he was usually too busy to
farm or build or keep shop for himself, so the community
would often trade their food and services for his
services.
When Thomas Kenny arrived in the frontier along the
Manatee River in the mid-nineteenth century, he set
up shop along the banks of the river under a tree.
A blacksmith and shipbuilder, his tools were simple.
He had a forge to heat the metal, an anvil, which
he would use along with a hammer, to shape the metal
and tongs to hold the hot metal. He might have had
various special tools to do specific jobs, but his
operation was most likely a simple one. More complicated
shops elsewhere might be inside a building and might
have a bellows to stoke the fire, to make it hotter.
One of the jobs of a blacksmith was to make horseshoes
and put them on the horse. However, because of the
soft South Florida sand, horses in this area were
seldom given shoes in the days of the frontier.
On display at the Manatee Village Historical Park
is an authentic blacksmith shop that shows the working
environment of these men who were once considered
magicians. The business of shaping metal was finally
co-opted by mass production industries, which did
not need craftsmen. But while they were needed, the
blacksmiths were the backbone of the community. They
formed the hardest substance known to man into things
that served the everyday life of people who depended
on them. Part scientist, part artist, they were the
steppingstone to civilization in the frontier.
The employees of the Historical Resources Department
have compiled a collection of historical information
that pertains to local history and is kept at the
Historical Records Library. These are not official
documents, but they tell us a great deal about our
area and our past. There is an extensive file about
blacksmithing and blacksmith shops that includes the
story of Thomas Kenny.
You can also read:
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