The Tom Bandy General Blacksmithing Shop was built in 1993 as a place where the community could come and experience the historical art of blacksmithing.

Keeping with the trade of Mr. Tom Bandy himself, our group of representatives practice the techniques of general blacksmithing, creating farm tools, hand tools, and ornamental iron work. 

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The replica was created when Phil Ewing and long time friend and resident philanthropist Ari De Jong set on a task of building a replica of Tom Bandy's shop that was originally located on Kalmia Street in 1908. 

 

Located in a green corrugated metal building in Grape Day Park, our facility houses three main areas: a teaching facility, a working museum, and the wheelwright and woodworking extension. 

  The Arie De Jong Teaching Facility has five forges (which meet EPA standards); each with a Champion 400 hand crank blower, post vise, and anvil. The center of the building features a replica of a blacksmith shop as it would appear in the early 1900s. This part of the shop includes a demonstrational forge, a line shaft, trip hammer, hack saw, and drill press. Equipment from the original shop on Kalmia St. includes: the anvil, drill press, reciprocating saw, and power hammer, plus many of the hand tools. The reconstructed shop office includes the original wood facing burned by brands made by the shop, the roll top desk and wooden cash register.

  The wheelwright and woodworking shop was added onto the east end of the building in 2007, producing and restoring a number of historical carriages and wagons.