Mount Prospect Historical Society to open new blacksmith exhibit

The Mount Prospect Historical Society is adding another exhibit to its bustling downtown Mount Prospect campus this fall.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Meyn family, the southern portion of the old Friedrichs carriage house behind the house at 101 S. Maple St. has been transformed into a blacksmith exhibit, which will open to the public at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 5.

Following the dedication ceremony, which will involve numerous descendants of Mount Prospect blacksmith John Meyn, Justin Stech, a modern-day blacksmith, will spend several hours (from noon to 3 p.m.) just outside of the exhibit demonstrating the trade for members of the public who want to stop by.

A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal using tools to hammer, bend and cut. Blacksmiths had a general knowledge of how to make and repair many things, from the most complex weapons and armor to simple things like nails or lengths of chain, to most produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons.

A common misconception, according to Stech, is that blacksmiths made horseshoes and attached them to horses' hoofs, as well as making other metal items. But farriers were actually the ones who dealt with horses. Based on stories and photos, however, it appears that the Meyns were both blacksmiths and farriers.

The new Mount Prospect Historical Society exhibit will be an unchanging replica of the late 19th century Meyn shop. In fact, a replica of John Meyn's Blacksmith Shop sign has been adorning the outside of the carriage house, just above the door, since last spring as a harbinger of things to come.

The blacksmith played a very important role in his community. He was a metal smith, a farrier, a mechanic, a handyman, a neighbor and a friend. This exhibit will educate people of all ages what a blacksmith did, why he was important, and what made John Meyn such a special man.

"The blacksmith played a very important role in his community," said Executive Director Lindsay Rice. "He was a metalsmith, a farrier, a mechanic, a handyman, a neighbor and a friend. This exhibit will educate people of all ages what a blacksmith did, why he was important, and what made John Meyn such a special man."

The Mount Prospect Historical Society is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that is committed to preserving the history of Mount Prospect through artifacts, photographs and both oral and written memories of current and former residents and businesspeople.

On its campus in the heart of the village, the society maintains the 1906 Dietrich Friedrichs house museum, carriage house, the ADA-accessible Dolores Haugh Education Center and the 1896 one-room Central School, which was moved to the museum campus in 2008.