The Linn Family / The Rowe Foundry Anvil

The Linn Family, also, The Rowe Foundry Anvil. . , The Linn Family , The ancestors of the Linn Family immigrated from Ireland in 1809. They eventually settled in Parker Township in Clark County Illinois, near Westfield in 1864. Walter Linn and his family moved to Martinsville in the late 1800's where his son Alexander (Zanny) owned and operated a carriage and blacksmith shop from 1898 to the early 1950's. They were known for horse-shoeing, implement repair, and setting wagon and buggy wheels. The carriage and blacksmith shop was involved in the construction of the Ohio Oil Tank Farm (later known as Marathon Petroleum) in the early 1900's. The location of the blacksmith shop on east Vine Street made it convenient for repairs along the National Road, which was completed in Clark County in 1928. The Linns also owned a hardware store in downtown Martinsville from 1910-1928., Alexander and his wife, Minnie Brayton Lindsey, had four children, Leland, Leanore, Lois, and Lloyd. Leland died at an early age; Leanore was a homemaker/historian; Lois worked as the bookkeeper at Littlejohn Grain for 49 years; and Lloyd moved to New York where he was a design engineer. , Leanore and Lois lived in the house built by Zanny on the northeast corner of Vine and Mill Street. They were lifetime members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and were active members of the Martinsville United Methodist Church, as well as other civic organizations., The Lois and Leanore Linn Foundation was established upon the death of Leanore in 2010, at her request. The purpose of the foundation is to benefit the community of Martinsville. Through the foundation, the Linn Park was established and an amphitheater was built, in honor of their love of music and gardening. , In cooperation with the Rowe Foundry, this anvil was placed in Linn Park as a memorial to Zanny Linn, the blacksmith., The Rowe Foundry Anvil , The Rowe Foundry evolved from Elias Rowe's blacksmith shop in 1870, to Martin Allen (Al) Rowe's blacksmith, boiler-making and machine shop in 1901. The third generation son and founder, Edgar Rowe, melted his first iron in 1898, and built his first small melting cupola in 1910. This small cupola was the beginning of the Rowe Foundry which has continued to operate for more than 100 years and has grown into a business serving world-wide customers., With a background in blacksmithing, and the ability to pour large castings the Rowe Foundry made what is believed to be the world's largest cast anvil as a tribute to its' past while using modern techniques. A design for the anvil was chosen, a pattern created, and on July 7, 2015, the anvil was poured. The anvil display was incorporated into the signage for the new Linn Park as a tribute to Alexander Linn, who was also a blacksmith in Martinsville from 1898 through the early 1950's. , The anvil weighs 5530 pounds. It is 78 inches long and 34 inches tall.