Sexsmith Blacksmith Shop
Shortly after the subdivision of the Benville Townsite in 1916, a number of
commercial buildings began to appear on its various lots. One of the first was
this blacksmith shop, an essential element of any farming community. It was
constructed and first operated by Dave Bozarth, who lived in the back with his
wife and small daughter until 1920. When the Bozarths moved into their new home
that year, they took in a young Swedish boarder named Nels Johnson, who had
earlier undertaken blacksmithing in Edson. While Bozarth also maintained a
livery barn and the Massey Harris dealership, Johnson became his chief
blacksmith. In 1924, Bozarth gained title to this lot and the one to the left,
where his dealership and livery barn stood.
In 1927, Bozarth sold his dealership to William Shannon, and the following
year, gave up the blacksmith and livery barn to become a farmer. The blacksmith
shop and barn were taken over by Johnson who, in 1930, divested the barn to Art
Fenton. Johnson would continue to operate the blacksmith shop with local helpers
like Martin Hovedbo until 1974, at which time it was purchased by William
Shannon's son, Danny Shannon. Although blacksmithing had long been a dying
trade, Danny Shannon retained this structure and its equipment intact until
1986, when it was acquired by the Town of Sexsmith. By this time, its
restoration had taken place under the auspices of the Sexsmith Museum Society,
which continues to maintain and interpret it.
The Sexsmith Blacksmith shop is the oldest building in the community and is
structural evidence of the service the community provided to its agricultural
hinterland. With its early equipment in place, it also affords visitors a unique
opportunity to see how this most critical local industry was conducted during
the early and middle years of the twentieth century.
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