The Blacksmith Shop
Discovering Madison
"And I desire my black Smith Moses, may belong to such of my children as he shall chose if they are willing to take him at a reasonable price."
- Will of James Madison, Sr., 1787
The Blacksmith shop, constructed by Madison's father in the 1760s, helped expand Motpelier's sources of income beyond the sale of tobacco. A slave named Moses supervised the shop and its African American workers. Over roaring furnaces, the men heated iron bars until they glowed red. Then, the softened metal was hammered and bent into practical things that rural Virginians needed: nails, horseshoes, hoes, and plows. Sales of these goods turned a handsome profit, and Moses' skill was recognized in the senior Madison's will. Though Madison dismantled the smithy to create a pastoral setting for his Temple, Moses remained at Montpelier until his death.
Marker is on Montpelier Road, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
