Shad Heller, Ozark Blacksmith

The Black smith.

by Joshua Heston

Unique. There is something unique about our perception of blacksmithing.

This page is graciously sponsored by J. Loehr Custom Designs. See more at right! --->

As Buddy Ebsen notes at right, the blacksmith was “one of the most essential of all the pioneer craftsmen.”

Perhaps that is why it figures so predominately in American culture of the 19th century.

And while the art was ubiquitous in pre-industrial America, it has become something of a symbol of the Ozarks, both in literature and in history.

The Village Blacksmith

  • Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands;
  • The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands;
  • And the muscles of his brawny arms are strong as iron bands.
  • Week in, week out, from morn til night, you can hear his bellows blow;
  • You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, with measured beat and slow,
  • Like a sexton ringing the village bell, when the evening sun is low.
  • And children coming home from school look in at the open door;
  • They love to see the flaming forge, and hear the bellows roar,
  • And catch the burning sparks that fly like chaff from a threshing floor...

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 to 1882)

The Rise of the West

“The workmen who satisfied this demand were blacksmiths, many of great skill in making tools for house and farm works, and some — such as gunmakers and clockmakers — were master craftsmen.

Even the frontier ax, in the hands of the skilled, was a tool of versatility and marvelous effectiveness. However, in this there was no special relation to the western frontier, for the needs were everywhere the same, and likewise the role of the blacksmith.

What might be called manufacturing for a market seems to have begun about 1790 in western Pennsylvania. The second most important demand was for nails, wire, crowbars, and other simple tools.

Furnaces for the casting of cooking pots and the like, and for the production of wrought nails and tools, existed in Pittsburgh, Lexington, and then in Ohio in the early years of the century.

They were, however, extremely few. Cincinnati had no foundry in 1815, nor had St. Louis any in 1821. Blacksmiths were still making kitchen utensils.

After the discovery of large and rich iron deposits in Ohio and across the Ohio River in Kentucky in 1825, the industry greatly expanded. Pittsburgh had become a great iron center before 1830, and Cincinnati and several lesser Ohio towns became moderate producers.

— pages 329-330, The Rise of the West (1754-1830) by Francis S. Philbrick.

from Sackett:

“So I went horse-hunting and wound up making a dicker with an Indian. He had two appaloosa horses and he dearly wanted a .36-calibre pistol I had, so we settled won to outwait each other. Every boy in Tennessee grows up horse-trading or watching horse trades, and no Red Indian was going to outswap me.” — Louis L’Amour

plate 1. Wilderness Road Blacksmith Shop. Artist: Joe Benjamin. Location: Silver Dollar City, Missouri.

Ozark Blacksmith

Plate 2. Dogwood detail, Roark Mountain, April 24, 2008.

Ozark Blacksmith

Plate 3. The Forge, Blacksmith Shop, Mountain Village 1890, Bull Shoals, AR. August 14, 2014.

Ozark Blacksmith

Plate 3. Blacksmith shop detail, Roark Mountain, Missouri, April 24, 2008.

Ozark Blacksmith

Plate 3. Blacksmith Shop, Mountain Village 1890. August 14, 2014.

From Buddy Ebsen:

“I felt Irene grab me by the arm as she yelled, ‘Buddy! Look at that blacksmith! His beard’s gonna catch on fire!’

“We Beverly Hillbillies were getting our first look at the Ozark Mountain location where we were to start filming the following morning.

“It was Silver Dollar City, an authentic reproduction of an 1890 mining town located in Southwest Missouri within sight of Arkansas.

“They were holding their annual Craft Festival, an event dedicated to the preservation of the pioneer skills which had enabled our ancestors to carve this country out of the wilderness.

“It was part and parcel of our story to show some of these artisans at work building every thing from log cabins and prairie schooners to oak barrels and hickory rockers.

“Since the blacksmith was one of the most essential of all the pioneer craftsmen, we had a scene with Shad Heller.”

page ii, Newton, Margaret. ‘SHAD’ A Biography of Lloyd 'Shad' Heller, Pin Oak Publishing Company, 1982.

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Custom Gun Engraving

“It’s about the process. It’s very personal,” says Jeff Loehr, jewelry and custom engraving craftsman. From his studio in Forsyth, Missouri, Loehr does full jewelry production — from drawing original designs to carving waxes, setting stones and casting — and after nearly 30 years of experience, this master craftsman has discovered his work is clearly recognized.

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“Two of my customers met at a restaurant in Branson,” he notes with a laugh. “One looked at the other and said, ‘That looks like Jeff made it!’

“I didn’t realize I had a style but I love really bold, pronounced design. I’m not real subtle.”

In addition to jewelry creation — and redesigning sentimental pieces — Loehr recently began firearm engraving.

The endeavor is going well. “I absolutely love it,” he explains. “It’s a way of imbuing meaning to a sentimental piece. Say, someone has Grandpa’s gun and they want to pass that firearm on to their kids. Hand-engraving is a perfect way to memorialize their grandfather and perserve those memories in something meaningful.”

Loehr’s 1,000 square foot store is part gun shop, part jewely store and 100 percent craftsmanship. “I don’t know if there’s another store like it in the Ozarks,” this master craftsman says with a smile.

J. Loehr Custom Designs is located in the White River Plaza (below the Dollar General) in Forsyth, Missouri.

They are open Monday-Friday 11AM-5:30PM and Saturday 9AM-Noon. Call (417) 593-1075 for questions or appointments.

Visit JLoehrCustomDesignscom. Email Jeff: Info@J Loehr Custom Designs.com Also visit their Facebook Page HERE!

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