#2296 "Lyndhurst Love Blacksmith Shop"

I participated again in the Lyndhurst Art Trail - 2019 Culture Days Tour. I have participated in Culture Day events from almost the very start. I forget which year exactly but I always agree to help however I might be able to. Culture Days was initiated by the Canadian Arts Summit in 2010.

Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture. At the end of each September, millions of people attend thousands of participatory arts and culture events across the country. Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture in our communities. The Culture Days organization supports a Canada-wide network of arts, culture, and heritage organizers to facilitate free public events in their communities every year during the Culture Days weekend. A registered charity as of 2017, Culture Days serves as a year-round catalyst that connects individuals and creators to build measurable support for the entire sector and amplify its contributions. We seek to eliminate barriers to access and participation, and stimulate understanding, appreciation and exploration of arts and culture—so that every person in the country has a deeper connection with themselves, their communities, and Canada.

This historic barn was the Blacksmith Shop of A.J.Love built in 1887. I thought it perfectly represented the culture and craft of that era. The sound of the sixteen foot drop of Furnace Falls provided the soundscape along with the calls of the migrating birds. Pioneers knew of the nearby (2 miles away) iron deposit in 1784. The first iron was produced in 1801 by Wallis Sunderlin of Tinmouth, Vermont in the village then known as Furnace Falls. By the time of the Love Blacksmith Shop, Furnace Falls had been renamed as Lyndhurst (1846). By 1870 there were sawmills and grist mills on both sides of the river. The Love Blacksmith Shop would have been in the very heart of this hive of activity.

The last remnants of the furnace stack were demolished in 1881 to build a new grist mill on the east bank. The last of all of the mills were sadly demolished in 1967. The Love Blacksmith Shop and adjacent prestigious red brick home over look the outlet of Lower Beverley Lake. The historic structure was open to the public for the first time. A "barn quilt" even graces the front of the Love Blacksmith Shop - a project inspired by and lead by Susan Magalas.

The weather was perfect between two very wet storms of autumn. The cirrus from the next storm was already flooding in from the west. Sunday was a beautiful day in the country and it was bustling with culture and friendship. It rained hard both before and after the Culture Day.

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