(NewsNation) — Inside a Baltimore workshop, there are no computers, no automation and no AI — just fire, steel and the same tools blacksmiths used 200 years ago.
G. Krug & Son Ironworks, founded in 1810, is the oldest continuously operating blacksmith shop in the United States. Peter Krug, the fifth-generation owner, said walking through the doors feels like stepping back in time.
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The shop hand forges everything from gates and fireplaces to signs and doors, with work found across Baltimore, including at Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Zoo.
Krug said the shop’s work today carries on a tradition that dates back generations.
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“The blacksmith was the hardware store in America in the early days,” Krug said. “Everyone went to the blacksmith to have things repaired and things made.”
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Blacksmith Ricky Caroll said using century-old tools makes the work feel like living history.
“I use tools that people were using 100 years ago,” Caroll said. “You are working in the past. Only thing we are missing is the get up.”
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Caroll said with the nation’s 250th birthday approaching, the work feels more meaningful than ever…