Monday, October 26, 2009 5:08 PM CDT
Young smith shows his mettle at Lincoln Log Cabin event
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
LERNA -- Rex Colgrove said blacksmithing is a “dying trade” because there aren’t a lot of young people doing it, but he’s doing his part.
The 16-year-old Mattoon High School junior demonstrated metal smithing at the “Fall Celebration” event Saturday at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. He’s been blacksmithing for about two years as an apprentice to 30-year veteran George Spallinger.
Seeing his mentor do the work while visiting the historic site a few years ago was all it took to get Colgrove interested.
“If you mess up, you can go back and fix it,” he said. “It’s different. There aren’t a lot of people doing it.”
Colgrove heated pieces of metal stock in a fire of coal — West Virginia coal, specifically, which he said is desirable because of its low sulfur content — and pounded and shaped it into S-hooks and other small items he said were easy to do for demonstrations. He also said the products were like those used in the 1840s era portrayed at the site, often to hang cook ware on walls when it wasn’t being used.
Colgrove’s work was done on a wagon that was a replica of a Revolutionary War-era artillery cart with a bellows and forge. He said he also does other volunteer work and is a seasonal employee for the site. So, he must have a real interest in history, right?
“Not as much as you might think,” he replied. He’s interested in Abraham Lincoln but actually enjoys the historic site itself, the home of Lincoln’s father, because music, art and other things are often featured there.
“It’s a lot of history but not all history,” he said. “It branches out.”
The event also took place Sunday and included other demonstrations, contests, food, music and arts and crafts vendors. Part of the plan was for it to somewhat resemble the “Harvest Frolic” event that takes place most years, explained Lance Beever, president of the Volunteer Pioneers group that sponsored the event.
Last year’s “Harvest Frolic” was canceled because of the state’s budget problems, and the same situation meant the event wasn’t scheduled for this year, Beever said. The volunteer group then decided to organize an event because there’s always been on in the fall, he explained.
“People have been asking if we were going to have the ‘Harvest Frolic,’ “ Beever said. “When they had to cancel it last year, everybody was upset.”
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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Harry Potter wrote on Oct 26, 2009 10:54 AM: