Blacksmith Shop

Newspaper advertisement for the sale of the Heilwood blacksmith shop.

Newspaper advertisement for the sale of the Heilwood blacksmith shop.

The blacksmith’s role in a coal town was to sharpen the picks, drills, bars, and whatever other tools the miners needed. In addition, he supplied horseshoes for the horses from the company livery stable and mules that were used in the mines.

Heilwood’s blacksmith shop was located on the opposite side of the bridge crossing Yellow Creek. Joseph C. Wolfe sold the business to Walter W. Mallory in February 1917. Mallory operated the business until his death in 1918, at which time his father Roland Mallory took over. In November 1922, in preparation for moving away from the area, the elder Mallory advertised the business and all of his household goods for sale in The Indiana Gazette.

Quite possibly, the introduction of the automobile and the increasing need for mechanics quickened the demise of the shop.