Blacksmith
Keeping horses and equipment in top shape
The clang of a hammer on iron and the acrid scent of coal smoke were commonplace at the Biltmore Forest School. Two blacksmiths, each with their own business 14 miles away in Brevard, took turns working here. Not only did the horses require shoes regularly, iron-working skills were needed to keep wagons on the road and logging equipment in working order.
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Wooden wagon wheels would shrink with age and weather leaving the iron tires loose. The blacksmith heated a section of the “tire” in the forge until the metal was soft. He then clamped it in this device and forced the metal together just enough to once again fit snugly on the wheel. The tire was then reheated, replaced on the wheel and ‘quenched’ or cooled quickly to shrink it onto the wheel before it could burn the wood.
Marker can be reached from U.S. 276 0.4 miles south of Yellow Gap Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
