How it all began…
The “blacksmith shop in Cazenovia” came up occasionally during discussions about our family history…the blacksmith shop of my great-great grandfather John McCabe. I heard the words, but quite frankly, the words bounced off. That is until the day, as we were driving through the village, my father said, “right there…that’s where the McCabe Blacksmith Shop was, right there, next to the creek where the gas station is”. That day was May 7, 2008, and it was at this point that the words did not bounce off, rather they “burned” in…what were once just words, was now a place that could be seen, walked on and dreamt about. What was it like being one of the three generations of McCabe’s to be a blacksmith in this village…emigrating from Ireland and establishing this place as home? I was committed to finding out.
McCabe Blacksmith Shop - 1869
Photo: Courtesy of Cazenovia Public Library
As it now stands - 2024
Photo: J. McIntyreAnd then…
through the research of “finding out”, I discovered Cazenovia had many blacksmiths, beginning in 1793 when Elnathan Andrews opened the first “shop” as part of the initial camp, after arriving here in that same year with John Lincklaen, the founder of Cazenovia. The last blacksmith, Frank McCabe was active through the late 1940’s.
In between, as many as 39 “smiths” in 12 locations helped build this Village.