Kenneth D. Kramer Blacksmith Shop

The historic Percy & Small Shipyard is the only intact shipyard in the United States where large wooden sailing ships were built. The shipyard was complete with its original buildings, except for one—the blacksmith shop—torn down in 1939. That building replaced a previous building that was destroyed by fire in 1913. The pre-fire building housed the blacksmith shop, which was responsible for producing the metalwork that went into building Wyoming and many of her sister ships. And produce it did. When Wyoming was launched on December 15, 1909, at the P&S Shipyard, she had 300 tons of iron and steel in her fittings, fastenings, and strapping.

Thanks to a generous bequest from former Trustee Kenneth D. Kramer to construct a Blacksmith Shop exhibit on the site of the original building, the complete shipbuilding story of the great schooners can now be told. The building is named in honor of Ken for his legacy.

Because virtually no information about the pre-1914 building is available, the Kramer Blacksmith Shop Exhibit is an evocation of the 1914 building, approximating its original dimensions and location—84 x 26 feet and due east of the Paint & Treenail Shop. To preserve the integrity of the shipyard’s intact historic buildings, this new structure is not a historical recreation of the original building, which would be “fake” history. Instead, the proportions, dimensions, and materials used evoke the original building and its purpose while clearly being a contemporary building. The structure houses exhibits related to the blacksmith operation that transpired there while also providing a gathering place for tour groups and visitors. On occasion, it is the site of blacksmithing demonstrations.