Near Monroe in Walton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Harris Blacksmith Shop

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

1. Harris Blacksmith Shop Marker

Inscription. In the 1800's, a blacksmith shop was of utmost importance to farms and communities. The “smith” was a skilled craftsman producing necessary iron tools and implements, such as door handles and hinges, nails, and horseshoes, for daily living. The blacksmith shop houses the forge, which is a brick fire-pit for heating coal, aided by an air duct helping to heat the coal to over 2,000 degrees, hot enough to bend metal - wrought iron and steel. The other important part of a blacksmith shop is the anvil, a wrought iron block for shaping the heated metal. After heating the coals and the metal in the forge, tongs were used to remove the red-hot metal and to place it on the anvil, where the smith would hammer the malleable metal into useful and beautiful creations.

Most large farms relied on the blacksmith to sharpen plows, maintain tools, and shoe the horses and mules. Since the smith had the tools to do so, he occasionally pulled teeth for the family.

According to Harris history, the original blacksmith shop was located near this working, reconstructed structure, built as an Eagle Scout project in 2012.

Erected 2024

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by Georgia Piedmont Chapter XXXIII, The Colonial Dames of America.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the The Colonial Dames of America series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 2012.

Location. 33° 53.709′ N, 83° 43.383′ W. Marker is near Monroe, Georgia, in Walton County. It can be reached from Winder-Monroe Highway (State Highway 11) 0.1 miles south of Emmett Doster Road Northwest, on the right when traveling south. Marker is in William Harris Homestead Museum & Education Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3636 GA-11, Monroe GA 30656, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont

and in Metro Atlanta.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

2. Harris Blacksmith Shop Marker

Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: “Improved” Land (a few steps from this marker); King Cotton (within shouting distance of this marker); Boll Weevil Eradication Program (within shouting distance of this marker); Harris Smokehouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The William Harris Homestead (about 400 feet away); Soil and Water Conservation Districts (about 400 feet away); Harris Family Cemetery (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named William Harris Homestead (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monroe.

Also see . . .
1. William Harris Family Farmstead (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which includes the main house and four outbuildings and was listed in 1982. (Prepared by Richard Cloues, Historic Preservation Section, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; via National Archives) (Submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. William Harris Homestead Museum & Education Center.

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Homepage for the farmstead, which is owned and maintained by the non-profit William Harris Homestead Foundation, Inc. (Submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 134 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.