Hammering In Their 30th Festival

Visitors got a chance to step back in time at the W.A Young and Sons Foundry & Machine Shop at the 30th Annual Hammer-In Festival along Water Street in Rices Landing on Saturday, April 21st. The Hammer-In is a free festival, open to the public, and has a day full of blacksmith demonstrations, guided tours, auctions, and more.

For 30 years, the Foundry has welcomed visitors on the third Saturday of April to stop in and take a glimpse into the history of early industry in Greene County, starting up the turn-of-the-century machines and inviting area blacksmiths to demonstrate their skills. The foundry sits as it did the day it closed, with tools scattered around and even that day’s newspapers still in their spots. It is the only surviving - and functional! - example of the industrial evolution from local blacksmith to mass production machining.

William A. Young opened the machine shop in 1900; in 1908, the foundry was added, and then electric added in 1928. All equipment located in the foundry dates from 1870 to 1920. An elaborate system of belts and pulleys spread throughout the shop runs 25 pieces of machinery, each independent of the other and fully operational, originally operated by steam and now gasoline. During guided tours with Bly Blystone, visitors could watch the machinery run with the belts and pulleys operating throughout the machine shop.

Young created many of the patterns used in the foundry, and a special type of wood was used to withstand the humidity changes with no warping. Sketches for parts can still be seen hanging on the machine shop’s walls, along with tools, parts, gears, and completed products. In the foundry, the original coke oven still sits, with unused coke piled beside it.

Rices Landing was once a hub for commercial distribution, and the shop’s initial commerce came from steamboat repairs. Nearby coalmines were also a key part of the business, a hardware store was opened on the second floor, and eventually the foundry also provided auto repair. Upstairs, the hardware store is still fully intact with its stock.

The foundry closed in 1965 and sat neglected until 1985, when it was purchased by the Greene County Historical Society. Repairs were made and it was opened to the public. In 1998, the foundry was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, the historical society turned over the foundry to non-profit Rivers of Steel and extensive repairs were made, including a new roof and windows. Last year, the W.A. Young and Sons Foundry & Machine Shop was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Members from the Pittsburgh Area Artists Blacksmiths Association (PAABA) and the Appalachian Blacksmiths Association (ABA) demonstrated hammer-on-anvil blacksmithing processes and amid the sounds of hammers ringing on anvils, created ornamental and functional items, some of which were offered for sale. An auction at 1pm had small items from the foundry and handcrafted artworks available for bidding. Auction proceeds benefitted the Machine Shop, PAABA and ABA.

A hot new event for this year, an aluminum pour occurred in the early afternoon, courtesy of Rivers of Steel Arts. Two Rivers of Steel artists placed scrap aluminum into a crucible and the crucible was then placed into a melting furnace. The temperature was brought to over 1,300 degrees, until the aluminum was completely melted. The crucible was carried over to molds and molten aluminum poured down into them. Excess aluminum was emptied onto sand, flowing into wild shapes and patterns. Last year, a brass pour was completed at the event.

After the event ended at 4pm, some visitors stopped by around 7pm for an intimate, limited ghost hunting experience led by Ghosts N’at, held at the shop and foundry. The guided ghost hunt explored the shop and foundry after dark, looking for evidence of the paranormal.

For those that missed the Hammer-In this year, you can get a taste of it every Sunday, from 11am-4pm, when the shop is open for tours with tour guide Bly Blystone. FMI or to make reservations for a Sunday tour, call 724-710-4898.

Published in May 2018 GreeneScene Magazine.