The Lacombe Blacksmith Shop Museum is a museum dedicated to blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

ing in Lacombe, Alberta

Lacombe, Alberta

Lacombe is a city in Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

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It was built in 1902 or 1904, and is the oldest operating Blacksmith shop in Alberta. The building still stands on its original site and much of the machinery is operational, and original.

1902 – 1942

The Blacksmith Shop had four different owners during its first four decades of operation. During this time, there were also several other blacksmith shops in the Lacombe area. There was quite the competition for this trade during the first half of the 20th century. Early pioneers of the area depended on tools which were fabricated by blacksmiths or ‘smittys’. Blacksmiths spent several years as an apprentice learning the skills of manipulating iron into useful equipment. Even though this was not the first Blacksmith Shop in Lacombe, it was the only one to operate through the early years of the community. In 1942, a local family purchased the shop and owned it for nearly 50 years.

1991 – 2011

In 1991, the Blacksmith Shop was purchased by the Lacombe & District Historical Society and restored as a museum. For the last 20 years, demonstrations have been held on special occasions, and for special functions. Nearly every citizen of Lacombe has seen a demonstration on one of these unique days. In 2011, the Blacksmith Shop Museum was designated by the Government of Alberta as a provincial historic resource.