Collingwood in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Steam Hammer

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2024

1. Steam Hammer Marker

Inscription.
This 1150 lb. (about 523 kg) steam-powered hammer was used in the Shipyard blacksmith shop for manufacturing tools, large bolts, stanchions, and links for the drag chains, among other things. The John Bertram and Sons Company sold the hammer to the Shipyard in the 1940's.

[photo caption]
From the documentary archives of Ursula Heller, with permission. Pictured above: Shipyard employees Ken Lloyd (seated) and Al Partridge (standing) in the blacksmith shop, c.1978.

For more information, please visit the Collingwood Museum at 45 St. Paul Street.

Erected by Collingwood Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 44° 30.445′ N, 80° 13.084′ W. Marker is in Collingwood, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It can be reached from Heritage Drive half a kilometer north of Huron Street (Provincial Highway 26), on the left when traveling north. The marker and steam hammer are in Harbourlands Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 45 Heritage Drive, Collingwood ON L9Y 0E8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Enclosed Steam Winch (a few steps from this marker); Steam Engine (within shouting distance of this marker); North-West Mounted Police Departure Point (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Collingwood - An Overview / Collingwood Elevators (approx. half a kilometer away); Water Transportation via Collingwood 1854-1900 (approx. half a kilometer away); The Associated Country Women of the World / L'union mondiale des femmes rurales (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Northern Railway Company of Canada (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Collingwood World War I Cenotaph (approx. 0.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2024

2. Steam Hammer & Marker

all markers in Collingwood.

Also see . . . Steam Hammer (Dundas Museum and Archives).

Excerpt: This steam hammer was made by the John Bertram and Sons Co. Ltd of Dundas. At that time, Bertram's was the largest employer in Dundas and had been at the forefront of machine tool manufacturing for nearly a century. Bertram's designed a wide array of large-scale machinery to be used in industrial manufacturing around the world.
Steam hammers like this are designed to shape large pieces of iron just as a blacksmith's hammer can shape a red-hot ingot. The steam-driven piston exerted tremendous pressure on the malleable metal. The smashing hammer was so powerful that it had to rest on a special shock-absorbing pad to prevent it from shattering the concrete floor of the factory in which it operated. In the early days workers held the metal in place by suspending it from chains and guiding it with tongs, but eventually this system was replaced with a much safer hydraulic arm.

(Submitted on June 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.