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The forge is a
very cold building
to work in during
the winter.
Russ Stallings'
mini-vacation, which included a visit to the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia near Staunton, VA. Here were four farm buildings, dating from 1630 to about 1850, transplanted in their entirety from Germany, England, Ireland, and one from Botetourt County, Virginia.
Amongst them was a 1730s blacksmith’s forge from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was a small, whitewashed building with a thatched roof, set next to a small steam amongst some trees. A pond with geese and ducks was out back. This struck me as an idyllic setting and an ideal job, crdfting a hinge, a nail, something from beginning to end, with almost three centuries of history within the forge. Then to the window to gaze at the stream and think a long thought.
I got to know one of the interpretive blacksmiths, Russ Stallings. We corresponded by mail, as I was curious whether he felt he was leading an idyllic life.
Russ replied ih a long letter, saying he appreciated the beauty of his blacksmith shop, next to the pond and stream, with trees lining the banking, and a hedgerow across the road. He did not sense he was back in the early 1730s, but he
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