Jeffrey Miller works at his temporary forge during a blacksmith demonstration at the 1754 Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta. (Photo courtesy Lincoln County Historical Association)
A master blacksmith and historian from Waldoboro, Jeffrey Miller, will demonstrate his trade at the Chapman-Hall House from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. He will be working at his 18th century temporary forge, built to replicate original forges of this type.
Admission is free as that day is community day at all the Lincoln County Historical Association’s historic sites: the Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta, the 1811 Old Jail in Wiscasset, and the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden.
Miller worked as the head blacksmith at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. and at Fort No. 4 in Charlestown, N.H. He established his present blacksmith shop in Waldoboro 15 years ago. His work has been commissioned by individuals and museums across the United States and Canada.
At Chapman-Hall House, he will forge a number of small items and share his insights about the daily work of blacksmiths as recorded in their account books and day books. The blacksmith’s work pattern changed according to the season, and he will show samples of items the smith might make for his customers.
During Colonial times, the work of a blacksmith was highly valued in a new settlement. Some of the smiths worked in specific areas such as white-smiths, wheel-wrights, armorers, and farriers. However, a blacksmith who could make plows and axes, as well as oven peels and irons, cooking forks and knives, and repair firearms was an important tradesman in any Colonial community. Tilden Hall, who purchased the Chapman house in 1835, was a blacksmith.
Chapman-Hall House is located at 270 Main St. in Damariscotta. The house will be open to visitors June 1 and 2, then every Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., closing for the season after Pumpkinfest. Admission is charged to tour the house: $10 per person, children 16 and under, free.
The 1754 Chapman-Hall House is one of three historic sites under the care of the Lincoln County Historical Association. The Lincoln County Historical Association is a nonprofit organization that also provides stewardship for the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset.
For more information about the Lincoln County Historical Association, go to lincolncountyhistory.org or find Lincoln County Historical Association Maine on Facebook.
