Historic blacksmith shop to be open to public Sunday

[ Originally published on: Friday, October 10, 2008 ]

ORANGE -- As people travel around town Sunday to enjoy the annual harvest celebration, they might also stop at a two-story, faded barn-red building with a sign that reads ''P.G. Nystrom'' across from the town's River Front Park.

This will be the first public showing of the nearly 200-year-old, former village blacksmith shop since the last blacksmith-owner, Philip Gustave Nystrom, died in 1977. Over the years, the building also has served as a shoeing shop, wheelwright shop and waterwheel shop.

Inside, it's like stepping back into the town's history. Much of Nystrom's blacksmith equipment, originally installed about 1820-1824, is still in place. The memorabilia on the smoke-stained wooden walls, along with the warped floors shaped from years of wear plus two major floods, speak volumes about Orange's past.

The free open house will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Building owner Adele Madsen has created a handout for visitors, which features a black-and-white photo of the last blacksmith, Philip Nystrom, on one side, and on the other is a brief history of the 28 East River St. building with a photograph of the exterior.

In May, a group, spearheaded by William C. Mehr Jr., started to restore the building and develop it into an educational center, complete with interpretive blacksmith artisans.

''Our mission and dream is to save the P.G. Nystrom building and make it into an educational site for children and adults,'' Mehr said.

The open house kicks off the group's effort to raise $50,000 to stabilize the building.

Last week, the group's effort got a big boost when the Orange Historical Society unanimously approved sharing its nonprofit status with the blacksmith shop group.

In addition, Bruce Wilson created what Mehr called a ''bare bones'' Web site for the group at:

www.nystromsblacksmith.org

 

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