The Parsons Blacksmith Shop in Springs will open for the season on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a free series of tours and live demonstrations of traditional ironworking tools and techniques.
Charles Silas Parsons (1858-1926), an inventor and craftsman, opened the shop on Springs-Fireplace Road in 1884. "He made anchors, farm tools, wagons, and sleighs," a release said, "shoed horses and sharpened knives, and eventually repaired boats and early cars."
"By the late 1970s, the shop fell into disrepair, but contained many of Parsons's working tools and machinery." The property was acquired by the town, and "with the help of the Springs Historical Society and a grant from Parsons's nephew, the shop and its contents were relocated to its current location across from Ashawagh Hall."
Saturday morning will also see the first Springs farmers market of the season.
