July 28, 2008

Mackinac Island, Mich. - The heat is on from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2, as Mackinac State Historic Parks hosts the 24th annual Benjamin Blacksmith Convention at the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop on Mackinac Island. Over a dozen blacksmiths from around Michigan will come together to display their craft and skill, as spectators marvel over a trade that hasn't died out ... a trade that on Mackinac Island hasn't changed at all during the past hundred years or more.

"The Benjamin Blacksmith Shop is unique because when automobiles and technology came into being throughout the nation, the blacksmith shops closed," said Katie Cederholm, Mackinac State Historic Parks curator of education. "But here on Mackinac Island, even in the 1880s when the shop was first introduced, this was a historic place so there was that need for traditional crafts. In addition, automobiles never came to the island, so the aspect of being a farrier who shoes horses stayed important and essential to the Mackinac Island community. It was so essential that the shop stayed open until the 1960s, and there are still farriers on Mackinac Island today."

Mackinac Island remains a vehicle-free island, with real horsepower the standard means of travel. Look anywhere and the work of the Mackinac Island blacksmith is evident: hinges, door latches, fencing, gates. But how are they made? During the convention, spectators may observe and talk to the blacksmiths at the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop on Market Street to obtain answers to their blacksmithing questions. Each year the blacksmiths work on special projects. This year they will work on window grates for the Stuart House City Museum; on stands and a wedding arch for Mission Church, part of Mackinac State Historic Parks and a popular wedding venue; and various other items.

"The projects they work on are specialty projects that need to be done by a blacksmith because of the historic aspect of the project and the historic buildings and structures around the island," Cederholm said. "They'll be using traditional blacksmithing techniques in the creation of these items."

The Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, one of five historic downtown Mackinac Island buildings operated by Mackinac State Historic Parks through the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. between June 7 and Aug. 23. It's restored to its 1950s appearance. The shop was originally known as the Star Blacksmith Shop, bought by Robert Benjamin and a partner in 1885. It remained in the Benjamin family and in operation until 1965. The Benjamin family donated the shop to Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1968.

Admission to the blacksmith convention may be obtained in two ways: with a ticket to Fort Mackinac, which includes admission to the five historic downtown buildings (Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, Biddle House, American Fur Company Store/Dr. Beaumont Museum, McGulpin House and Mission Church) or with a ticket to the historic downtown buildings only.

The Fort Mackinac ticket is priced at $10 for adults and $6.25 for children 5-17. The Historic Downtown ticket is priced at $5 for adults and $3 for youth. In both cases, there is no charge for children four and under. Tickets are sold outside the Biddle House, which provides entrance to the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, at Fort Mackinac entrances, at the kiosk in Marquette Park or in the Visitor's Center across from Marquette Park.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a pure Michigan family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites - which are accredited by the American Association of Museums - include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or on the Web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).