KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Tucked behind the Kennebunkport Historical Society’s Pasco Center at Townhouse Corner is the picturesque Benson Blacksmith Shop, and sitting at the historic forge is a 21st century blacksmith who took up the hobby after a job loss sent him on a new path several years ago.

Nathan Blakemore discovered his love of metalwork through a retraining program after being laid off from a job at Thomas Moser furniture maker in Auburn 10 years ago.





He took classes in welding at New England School of Metalworks, and then moved on to the blacksmith classes. Blakemore lives in Kennebunk with his wife and two kids, and while his retraining didn’t lead to a job in welding, it did lead to a passion for blacksmithing that he shares with others through demonstrations at the Benson Blacksmith Shop.

The blacksmith shop is a working recreation of a turn-of-the-century farrier’s shop, and it showcases the history of R.P. Benson & Sons Horse Shoeing, which sat at the corner of Main and North streets in the heart of Kennebunkport more than 100 years ago.

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Cecil Benson, who died at age 92 last August, had a deep love for his grandfather’s craft, and recreated the Benson Blacksmith Shop for the historical society in his honor. It preserves photography, memorabilia and three dozen meticulous work diaries documenting 50 years of work that serve as a “Who’s Who” of the early 1900s in town.

Blakemore took a class and learned how to build his own forge, and then made all of the tools he would need for blacksmithing. An active father with a full-time job at the University of New England in the IT department, he has to carve out time for his hobby and demonstrations at the historical society. He has been giving blacksmithing demonstrations at the historical society for three years, usually twice a month, and hopes to do more to share his craft.

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Visitors get a history lesson, too, along with a demonstration of how to form a metal rod into a leaf hook to hang on a wall, or a bottle opener.

“I try to give the history of the Benson Forge during my demonstration. What it was, and the importance it played in the town. It wasn’t just horse shoes. They made door latches and candleholders and other necessary things for homes at the time,” he said.

Blakemore said there are a lot of young people who are taking an interest in the craft of blacksmithing as the “maker movement” has brought younger generations back to hands-on handmade craftsmanship.

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As he opened the barn doors to the shop and fired up the forge on an oppressively hot summer day for a demonstration recently, Blakemore said the heat doesn’t bother him, and he likes the idea of being able to take a solid rod of metal and shape it the way he wants.

“There’s just something about being able to go from a solid rod to something like this,” he said, holding up one of the bottle openers he recently crafted. “It’s just fun the way the metal moves.”

Other hobbyist blacksmiths use the shop from time to time, and also hold demonstrations. The building can hold small groups for tours and demonstrations, which can be scheduled by calling the historical society. For a schedule of events and hours call 207-967-2751 or email KportHS@gwi.net or visit www.kporths.com.

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