I am pleased to announce in 2022 the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in Haverhill, Iowa will again be open every day Memorial Day through Labor Day from Noon to 4;00 p.m. Admission is free. A skilled blacksmith and inventor, German immigrant Matthew Edel owned the shop from 1883 until his death in 1940. The complete and original shop has been kept just as he left it the day he died. Visitors can see his tools, inventions, and hear stories about blacksmithing in the age before tractors and automobiles.
The MEBS was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 due to its relatively untouched condition. The MEBS historic site was donated by the descendants of Matthew Edel to the State Historical Society of Iowa in 1986. (Matthew Edel’s only daughter, Mary “Mayme” Edel Ryan, is my maternal grandmother and lived in Haverhill her entire life.) Go to this website for more MEBS site history:
https://iowaculture.gov/history/sites/matthew-edel-blacksmith-shop
On Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m. there will be a Goldie’s Kids Club event (tour and activities) for children at the MEBS. Goldie’s Kids Club is a program hatched by the State Historical Society of Iowa to introduce children aged 12 and under to learn about Iowa history. Goldie’s Kids Club is named for the state bird, the eastern goldfinch. Go to this website to learn about free membership in Goldie’s Kids Club: https://iowaculture.gov/goldie.
The MEBS is administered locally by the Historical Society of Marshall County : 503 West Main Street; Marshalltown, IA 50158. Group tours of the MEBS in Haverhill are welcome. Please schedule in advance with the HSMC by Email or call at (641) 752-6664.