Historic Poole Forge, 1940 Main St., Narvon, will have a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on Friday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. for the recently acquired hammerhead that was originally used in the operation of the forge from 1786 through 1859.
Local historian and board president William Shirk acquired the hammer from the Berks County Historical Society, which purchased the item in 1934 from a blacksmithing shop in Honey Brook. Shirk spent the summer creating an educational display for the hammer. "When we acquired this hammerhead, we decided to make it interpretive, so people could understand how it was used," said Dawn Ekdahl, Poole Forge executive director.
The hammerhead can be viewed near the original forge site along with two other intact hammerheads. Scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony are Caernarvon Township supervisors, members of the Berks County Historical Society and the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and state Rep. Dave Zimmerman. Light refreshments will follow the ceremony in the Ironmaster's Mansion.
According to a document provided by Ekdahl that explains how the forge operated, one of the main purposes of a working iron forge in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was to draw out the raw pig iron ingots received from local furnaces into bar iron that could be sent to blacksmiths who could transform them into wrought iron products. This involved heating the ingots and then hammering them to stretch the ingots into bars. Since the pig iron ingots were very large - several feet in length and weighing hundreds of pounds - the hammers also had to be very large. The hammerheads alone weighed nearly 500 pounds.
The hammer assembly was powered by a waterwheel, and cams on the wheel lifted the hammer up and allowed it to fall back down onto the anvil below. By placing the ingots or bar iron between the hammer and anvil, forge workers could refine and shape the metal into more workable forms for blacksmiths to use.
"Imagine the sound it would have made. There were two hammers pounding, and that would have been going all the time," said Ekdahl. "There was smoke from the forge as well. We are one of the few forges that have even a couple of the (original) hammers. Local history books on forging usually show our hammers as an example."
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 19, there will be a fundraising event in the mansion from 6 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with Lancaster County's Extraordinary Give. Attendees will enjoy craft brews by Animated Brewing Co., hors d'oeuvres donated by Shady Maple and Food and Design Events in Churchtown and live music by Shakehouse Music. There will also be a chance to win prizes. The price of a ticket includes a T-shirt or beer glass.
For more information about the ceremony or the fundraising event, visit http://www.historicpooleforge.org or http://www.facebook.com/HistoricPooleForge or call 484-797-5302.
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