Captain Cornelius Putnam Blacksmith Shop
A
blacksmith shop was a vital part of any self-sustaining
New England
farm. Waters Farm was no exception. The original shop at the farm was
constantly busy forging nails, hooks, cooking utensils, scissors, horseshoes,
plows, wheel rims, and all of the implements used to keep the farm in operation.
The blacksmith shop at Waters Farm was used until the death of Nathan Waters in
1878. After Nathan’s death it fell into disrepair and was eventually torn down
in 1890 according to Nathan’s great granddaughter, Dorothea Waters Moran.
This new blacksmith shop, constructed by a farm crew in 1995 and dedicated on
October 1, 1995, is named for Captain Cornelius Putnam. Captain Putnam was born
in Sutton on January 28, 1782 and died at age 81 in 1863. He was a blacksmith by
trade and also served as Captain of the Oxford Militia. Captain Putnam was a
regular visitor at Waters Farm as his daughter Ulva was married to Nathan Waters
in 1831.
Russell Sibley Putnam, whose mother was born in the Waters Farm house, was the
fifth generation to own the Captain’s home and Blacksmith Shop located at the
corner of
Sutton Avenue
and
Joe Jenny Road
in
Oxford
. He generously donated the bellows and tools used by the Putnam family for many
years to Waters Farm.
The Blacksmith Shop is a very popular destination during Fall Farm Days and
other farm events with the able assistance of Board of Directors member Fran
Donnelly and others who are carrying on the blacksmith tradition. The Blacksmith
Shop will also be a part of the Educational Curriculum being unveiled in 2008.
The forge and chimney were built by John Rogers from
Northbridge, MA.
~Continue Your Tour of Waters Farm~
