Winsor Blacksmith Shop

The Winsor Blacksmith shop was built in 1870 by Ira Winsor on Winsor Road in Foster, Rhode Island.  It remained in the Winsor-Hayfield family until October 1992, when Dorothy and George Brayton Sr., fearing that it would be sold outside of Foster, purchased it.  The Braytons donated the shop to the Foster Preservation Society  in October 1993, with the stipulation that it be removed from the property and relocated in Foster.

This 331 square foot building was taken apart and reconstructed in the spring of 1994 by the Society with the help of many volunteers.  It now stands on land leased from the Town of Foster just adjacent to the 1796 Town House.  The blacksmith shop also has a 33 square foot extension affixed to the gable end that houses the bellows.

This shop is unique in that it has an oxen sling.  Oxen, unlike horses, cannot stand on three legs, so the  smithy had to use a sling to support the animal while affixing shoes to their hooves.  In addition, since oxen have cloven hooves, it takes  two separate pieces of metal for each hoof.

In times past, the blacksmith did more than shoe oxen and horses; in his shop he made or repaired, one at a time, nearly every metal tool and object in common use: wagon springs, door latches, tools, hinges, andirons, harness and farm hardware, household utensils and pots and pans, to name a few.

The Foster Preservation Society has made a sincere effort to restore the shop and to preserve the many artifacts therein and in fact won an award in 1995 from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission for our efforts (click on picture of award at below left for a larger version).  We appreciate and thank all who volunteered so many hours of labor.