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For Want of A Nail
ABOUT The Project
This is a Community Art Project Proposal for a garden sculpture and a small permanent exhibition at the North Amherst Library, Amherst, MA. Inspired by horseshoes and findings from an old blacksmith shop, formerly sited under the new library extension.
Hampshire gazette article 10/3/23
The Idea
In 2022-23, a new North Amherst Library Extension was built on the site of an old blacksmith's shop. Old iron horseshoes, nails and other hand-forged items were dug up during excavation work and site preparation. They show the skill and craft of blacksmiths from long ago and are an interesting gateway into the early industrial history of the area that was known as the Dirty Hands District.
The project is for a small exhibition and garden sculpture at the North Amherst Library that will attract attention to the vital role of the horse in agricultural and early industrial communities.
A sculpture of a horse's head using old horse shoes could be placed in the garden. A permanent display in the library would highlight the universal skills of the blacksmith, the centrality of the shop in the village, and the history of the horse through time. These old horseshoes are a special legacy from our forgotten, silent partners in physical labor throughout the ages.
Learn More
The horseshoe project can spark interest in social history through found objects. It can also inspire interest in tried and tested, sustainable ways of living as demonstrated by people from times past.
For Want of a Nail
the findings so far ...
Many of these findings are keg shoes, c.1880, one of the earliest manufactured horse shoes in North America. The bar shoe (top row second from left) is probably hand forged. There are mule shoes and pony shoes, as well as draft horse shoes. Most of the ice and snow calks were made by the Phoenix Manufacturing Company which had plants at Joliet,Ill., Catasauqua, Pa., and Montreal, Quebec. The drive-in calks were highly popular and worked exceptionally well with bar pads.
The role of the blacksmith
Lewis J Spear shop, Amherst c. 1886
Lewis J Spear shop, Amherst c. 1886
Lewis J Spear shop, Amherst c. 1886
There were many other farriers and
blacksmiths in Amherst in this era.
Metal working was an essential skill
and the smithy would have been a
hub of activity for local people e.g.
edge tool manufacture, sharpening,
repairs etc..
Section from 1757 account book
Lewis J Spear shop, Amherst c. 1886
Lewis J Spear shop, Amherst c. 1886
Account book of blacksmith David Warner, showing work completed such as fixing the rim on a dish kettle, mending chain, and mill work in a sawmill. The account beginning February 1757 has a cross through it,
indicating the account was balanced, or paid. A new account for Simeon Clark was started July 5, 1757.
The Proverb
For want of a nail a horseshoe was lost,
for want of a horseshoe a horse went lame,
for want of a horse a rider never got through,
for want of a rider a message never arrived,
for want of a message an army was never sent,
for want of an army a battle was lost,
for want of a battle a war was lost,
for want of a war a kingdom fell,
and all for want of a nail.
Anon
This ancient proverb has been around in many forms since at least the 13th century, so is doubtless much older than that.
Next steps
ERIC DENNIS
Eric Dennis is our talented blacksmith/metal artist. His company is Round House Blacksmithing and is based in Greenfield MA. He has created preliminary sketches for the sculpture combining horseshoes and forged iron, mounted on natural stone. Muddy Brook Farm of Amherst will be providing us with draft horse shoes for the sculpture. We are coordinating with the Public Art Committee and Town of Amherst.
Display prep
The horseshoes and other artefacts are being brushed down and prepared for a permanent display inside North Amherst Library. Lots of vinegar and WD40 is being used!
WEBSITE AND HISTORY TRAIL
This website will be expanded to include more information about the history of working horses in North Amherst and beyond. The blacksmith site will become part of the planned Mill River History Trail in the future.
Take part in public art!
Make a donation
Your contribution of any size will go towards commissioning the statue which will be placed on the site of the old blacksmith's shop. If you chose, your name will be recorded on an honor roll as a valued supporter of For Want of A Nail.
Project Assistance and Resources
The site during excavations 2022
