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Page updated May 15, 2023. More updates coming.
Beason-Blommers
Mill and Blacksmith Shop at the Pella Historical Village in Pella, Iowa.
Mid-1800s era museum blacksmith shop. Set up as a small rural village blacksmith
attached to the water-powered mill, the smithy itself is roughly 24-feet wide by
around 20-feet deep. The forge is built of brick with a steel smoke shelf
inserted inside the chimney. Chimney has very good draw. The smiths were working
the fire while I was visiting and there was no smoke in the shop at all.
The first set of photos on this page are from the Tulip Time festival May 7, 2022. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Beautiful brick forge. The smith installed a steel smoke shelf inside the chimney after the forge was already built. He said that the smoke shelf dramatically reduced the backdrafting of smoke into the shop during windy days. This is good working chimney, I did not smell smoke when I stuck my head into the shop.
Brick corbeling on each side of the chimney smoke entrance supports a steel plate like a half-hood. In the banner photo at right, flames and sparks are deflected back down and into the smoke entrance of the chimney.
The shop is a simple old-fashioned wood structure with dirt floor. Hand cranked blower to supply air to the fire.
The Pella Historical Village & Vermeer Windmill are located at 507 Franklin Street, in Pella, just one block east of the Cental Park - walk straight east from the Central Park and look for the big windmill. The Historical Village is in the courtyard behind the windmill. The Historical Village represents life in a dutch settlement Pella Iowa during the mid-1800s. The Vermeer windmill is an authentic working windmill that was dismantled in Netherlands, transported to the United States and reassembled near the town square in Pella, Iowa. Guided tours of the windmill are available six days per week from mid-march thru the endo of December. But live demonstrations in the blacksmith shop are only offered duirng Tulip Time and Wyatt Earp days and other special occasions. Some of the main occupations that I am interested in here include woodworking (cabinet making, wooden shoes, carpentry), grain grinding (flour for cooking, animal feeds, etc.), and of course the blacksmith.
The water-powered grain mill and the blacksmith shop are joined together. The blacksmith shop is in the red building attached to the rear (east end) of the water-wheel powered grain mill.
Visiting Information: For visitor information see the Pella Historial Museums website here: https://www.pellahistorical.org/ Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Windmill are located at 507 Franklin Street in Pella, Iowa. The Scholte House Museum & Gardens are located on Washington street across from the north side of Cental Park in Pella.
The workshops are staffed with live demonstrations of each of the crafts twice each year - in May during Tulip Time, and in September during Wyatt Earp Days.
Tulip Time is always scheduled for the first Thursday, Friday, Saturday of May each year. Wyatt Earp Days is scheduled for the last weekend (Fridays & Saturdays) of late September each year. Wyatt Earp Days 2023 for example is scheduled for September 29-30, 2023.
The Pella Historical Musuems are open 6 days a week Monday-Saturday from mid-March till end of December. The Pella Historical Village is staffed for live demonstrations only during Tulip Time and Wyatt Earp Days. During regular visiting days the museum village is open as a static (un-guided) museum exhibit along with guided tours of the windmill. See the Pella Historical Museums website for the most up-to-date list of operating hours and windmill tour schedule. There is a gift shop (next door) under the windmill.
More photos:
Latest update: May 15, 2022.
The author can be emailed at address in picture below:
Page created May 10, 2022.
