MILTON - Don Thompson pounds the glowing red metal with meticulous focus; the distinct clanging no doubt causes curiosity among passersby outside.
Those interested enough to venture inside the James Street building are instantly transported back to Milton’s formative years, with a look into a trade that helped shape the town.
That comes courtesy of the demonstrations Thompson and his colleagues are putting on Saturday mornings at Waldie Blacksmith Shop. Coinciding with the Milton Farmers’ Market and presented by the Milton Historical Society, the sessions run from 9 a.m. to noon until Thanksgiving.
Thompson said that when he was first introduced to smithing by Waldie instructors Megan Carter and Mike Armstrong, it was like a fish taking to water.
“It’s just that I’m able to produce something with my hands,” he said, speaking to why the trade came so naturally to him. “I hunt with muzzleloaders and that (blacksmithing) just kind of fit in. My family and I, we go camping and we camp primitive under canvas and cook over open fires and dress period (accurate). Whether it's the French and Indian War period or up to the fur trade, we do that.”
Waldie’s demonstrations are put on by real practitioners of the trade, certified by the Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association.
Along with his smithing expertise, Thompson looks and acts the part. His long beard and antiquarian lifestyle create an air of historic whimsy around him.
Waldie is an authentic, period-accurate blacksmith shop with a genuine sense of history. Visitors are met with handmade horseshoes hanging on support beams, tools and real anvils. The focal point of the smithy is, of course, the coal-fired forge.
In 1999, after laying dormant since the 1970s, the Milton Historical Society (MHS), Waldie family descendants and a team of volunteers worked to preserve the shop.
Marsha Waldie, a living relative of founding patriarch James Waldie Sr., lives right next door and serves on the MHS board of directors.
“Blacksmithing was a vital part of our history when we were first being settled in 1822,” MHS board president John Challinor said. “The blacksmith was probably the second business that was established in Milton after the mill.”
He added, “There continues to be an interest in blacksmithing, For some people, it’s nostalgia. For others it’s a hobby. It is very artistic.”
Thompson believes the popularity of TV’s Forged in Fire is at least partly responsible for the growing curiosity about smithing.
Anyone who thinks this may be the pastime for them can sign up for courses that run year-round at Waldie’s. Anything the students make can be taken home, while visitors can buy smithed items at the shop as well.
Aside from the shop, the MHS runs the Cooke/Dills Archives for anyone wanting to do a deep dive on local history. They can access over 100,000 items like military records, photographs, documents, journals, video sources, audios and more.
The Carriage Room, a meeting area, can be booked by calling the MHS (905-875-4156). For more information about all that MHS offers, visit MiltonHistoricalSociety.ca.