SUNBURY — Rick Helwig will bring the art and history of the blacksmith to the Big Walnut Area Historical Society at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at the forge in the barn at the Myers Inn Museum. The blacksmith was one of the first tradesmen to set up in a new community.
The art of the blacksmith has been practiced for 1,000s of years. There are references to it in the Bible, and it played a significant role in the mythology of many ancient cultures. As expansion happened in the U.S., the blacksmith was one of the first craftsman to set up shop in a new community and provided an invaluable service to those settlers. The need for the blacksmith didn’t end there. Up until the early 1900s, blacksmiths served as a key member of many rural communities.
Join Helwig, the BWAHS’ resident blacksmith, as he discusses the art and history of the blacksmith, as well as demonstrating some of the techniques of the craft. Helwig was apprenticed to a blacksmith when he was 9 and has been working as a historic blacksmith for over 50 years.
This program will be held at the barn in the side yard of the Myers Inn. Please bring your own chair and be prepared to spend an enjoyable summer evening outside. Admission is free.
Myers Inn Museum is at the corner of South Columbus and Granville streets and faces Sunbury Square.
Submitted by the Big Walnut Area Historical Society.
