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Photograph of William Moreau, blacksmith of New Richmond, taken in his shop in Oct. 2004
27 October 2004
New Richmond, Quebec, Canada

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Heart of the Village:
Memories of the Blacksmith Shop

Introduction

Until very recently the blacksmith was an extremely important and vital member of the community. Almost every small town and village had their own smithy, and the blacksmith's services and knowledge was required by all.
The following pages are devoted to the blacksmiths who lived and worked in the small communities dotting the Gaspe Coast. Several family histories and biographies of blacksmiths have been collected through archival and oral history sources. These biographies include the Watson family blacksmiths, the Gilker family blacksmiths, and the individual stories of Arnold George Gilker, William Moreau, and Obadiah Lot Vardon. A comprehensive list of all the blacksmiths serving the various communities along the Gaspe Peninsula between 1831 and 1881 has also been compiled from four surviving census records.

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The Importance of the Blacksmith

The blacksmith shop was generally in a central location in the community and frequently was situated at the main crossroads of the town or village. This position was of course important for the shop to fully capitalize on business opportunities. The central location also led the blacksmith shop to play an important social role in the community in addition to its vital economic role. There were always people in and around the smithy and it became a place where they could catch up on all the latest news and rumours. Posters and announcements for upcoming events frequently papered the walls of the blacksmith shop.

The blacksmith's services were always in demand. In an age when horses provided the primary means of transportation, the blacksmith filled a vital role in the community by making and repairing horse shoes, and shodding horses. The poor conditions of the roads on the Gaspe in the 19th century would have helped to ensure that the blacksmith was never out of work. The community blacksmiths also made and repaired farming tools and implements. Many important iron household items came from the community's blacksmith shop as well. Local blacksmiths on the coast also played an important role in the area's ship-building and logging industries by making pevie hooks, chains, and nails.

As blacksmiths worked closely so often with animals in their business of shodding the community's horse and oxen, their advise was often sought on health matters and concerns when the animals were unwell. Blacksmiths frequently played a role as "veterinarian" for the community.

The latter half of the 20th century saw the eventual end of the blacksmith profession in most communities. The development and increased use of automobiles and automotive machinery and equipment slowly phased out the need for blacksmiths as these machines began to replace the need for horses in the community. Interestingly, many blacksmith shops actually met this change in demand by evolving into garages which serviced automobiles and tractors.

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Horsepower traditional farm equipment demonstration at the Gaspesian British Heritage Village.
2004
Duthie's Point, New Richmond, Quebec, Canada

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As just mentioned, horses were extremely important to the economy; they were not only the primary form of transportation, but they were also heavily depended upon as work animals. In this photograph, the hay is being harvested by horse powered equipment.

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Threshing horsepower demonstration at the Gaspesian British Heritage Village.
2003
Duthie's Point, New Richmond, Quebec, Canada

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Horses were also required to operate threshing machines, as seen in this photograph.

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Transporting Logs, horses and logging
1930
Woods up the Grand Cascapedia River, Quebec, Canada

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Horses played an important and vital role in the local logging industry. In this picutre, a team of horses pulls a sleigh loaded with harvested logs.

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Shoeing a horse in the Blacksmtih Shop at the Gaspesian British Heritage Village.
2004
Duthie's Point, New Richmond, Quebec, Canada

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As such, the blacksmith filled a vital role in the community by making horse shoes and shodding the community's horses.

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This is a grapple hook.
2004
New Richmond, Quebec, Canada

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The blacksmith also serviced the local logging industry by making hooks, chains, and tools.

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Bunk hook, made by William Moreau in his blacksmith shop for the local logging industry.
2004
New Richmond, Quebec, Canada