Benjamin Blacksmith Shop
Encyclopedia
The Benjamin Blacksmith Shop is a blacksmith
y and museum, in operation since before 1885, located adjacent to the Biddle House
on Market Street on Mackinac Island
in the U.S. state of Michigan
. It is part of Mackinac Island State Park
. Mackinac Island is known for its local ordinances that forbid privately operated motor vehicles and encourage widespread use of horse
s, and this smithy displays and celebrates examples of the craft of horseshoeing
.
Robert Benjamin in 1885. At that time, and for 80 years thereafter, it operated at a slightly different location on Market Street. Mackinac Island's population was not big enough to allow the Benjamin family to specialize in the work done by the shop. It operated as a mixed smithy, performing craft forge operations and horseshoeing for the Island's large summer and smaller winter populations.
After blacksmith Herbert Benjamin's death in 1965, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop was threatened with closure. In 1968, heir Robert Benjamin donated the shop and its fittings to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission
, which moved the building to its present location adjacent to the Biddle House and restored it to its appearance in the 1950s.
As a tourist attraction starting in 1968, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop largely ended its horseshoeing work (which continued at other locations on Mackinac Island) and specialized in craft metalwork. Blacksmiths can be seen at this location throughout the State Park's period of full summer operations, forging mild steel items and implements for use by the State Park and sale to the public.
Admission is by Fort Mackinac
ticket. Since 1985, the Shop has hosted an annual Blacksmith Convention, usually held on the first weekend in August.
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
y and museum, in operation since before 1885, located adjacent to the Biddle House
Biddle House (Mackinac Island)
The Biddle House is a historic house and fur trade shop space, built before 1800 on Market Street on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of Mackinac Island State Park...
on Market Street on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
in the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is part of Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park is a state park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island park encompasses 2.81 mi² , which is approximately 74% of the island's total area of 3.78 mi² . The park is also within the boundaries of the city of Mackinac Island and has permanent...
. Mackinac Island is known for its local ordinances that forbid privately operated motor vehicles and encourage widespread use of horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, and this smithy displays and celebrates examples of the craft of horseshoeing
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
.
History and today
The Star Blacksmith Shop was bought by blacksmith-postmasterPostmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
Robert Benjamin in 1885. At that time, and for 80 years thereafter, it operated at a slightly different location on Market Street. Mackinac Island's population was not big enough to allow the Benjamin family to specialize in the work done by the shop. It operated as a mixed smithy, performing craft forge operations and horseshoeing for the Island's large summer and smaller winter populations.
After blacksmith Herbert Benjamin's death in 1965, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop was threatened with closure. In 1968, heir Robert Benjamin donated the shop and its fittings to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission
Mackinac Island State Park Commission
The Mackinac Island State Park Commission is an appointed board of the State of Michigan that administers state parklands in the Straits of Mackinac area. It performs public activities under the name Mackinac State Historic Parks...
, which moved the building to its present location adjacent to the Biddle House and restored it to its appearance in the 1950s.
As a tourist attraction starting in 1968, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop largely ended its horseshoeing work (which continued at other locations on Mackinac Island) and specialized in craft metalwork. Blacksmiths can be seen at this location throughout the State Park's period of full summer operations, forging mild steel items and implements for use by the State Park and sale to the public.
Admission is by Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
ticket. Since 1985, the Shop has hosted an annual Blacksmith Convention, usually held on the first weekend in August.