Blacksmith Shop

The Blacksmith Shop, also known as the Old Blacksmith Shop, is a historic reconstruction located at 26 Charlotte Street in St. Augustine, Florida. It is a 12 x 16 foot wooden outbuilding built from pine logs cut with a broad axe and adze, replicating the construction methods of the 18th century. The original structure on the site dates back to at least 1771, during the British period of Florida. In 1782, the property was sold to David Morran, who rented one of the buildings to a blacksmith. After the 1783 Treaty of Paris returned Florida to Spain, Morran left for England but his wife remained to manage the sale of his properties; the sale was eventually handled by Jesse Fish and James Henderson. The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board reconstructed the Blacksmith Shop in late 1967 and completed it in 1968, after demolishing the Judson Property that stood on the site. During the 1970s, it operated as a working blacksmith shop for San Agustín Antiguo, where visitors could watch a blacksmith—a descendant of early Minorcan settlers—make horseshoes and intricate ironwork. Today, the Blacksmith Shop operates as a coffee shop called Crucial Coffee Café, managed on behalf of the state by University of Florida Historic St. Augustine, Inc. The site is a historic building and a tourist attraction in St. Augustine.

The history of the Blacksmith Shop begins with the original structure on the site, which dates back to at least 1771 during the British period in St. Augustine. At that time, there were several similarly constructed outbuildings. In 1782, the property was sold to David Morran, who rented one of the buildings to a blacksmith. When the 1783 Treaty of Paris gave Florida back to Spain, Morran returned to England but left his wife in St. Augustine to manage the sale of his properties. She was unsuccessful, and Jesse Fish and James Henderson managed the sale to the Spaniards. The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board began reconstruction of the Blacksmith Shop in late 1967 and completed it in 1968. The home that stood on the site at the time, known as the Judson Property, was demolished in 1967. The Preservation Board's in-house construction crew built the 12 x 16 foot wooden outbuilding from pine logs cut with a broad axe and adze, following historic construction methods. The shop had a dirt floor with no windows and no insulation. During the 1970s, it served as a working blacksmith shop for San Agustín Antiguo. The board aimed to replicate an 18th-century shop experience and installed a double forge. Visitors could watch the blacksmith, a descendant of early Minorcan settlers, making horseshoes and doing more intricate ironwork for other Preservation Board properties. Today, the Blacksmith Shop operates as a coffee shop, Crucial Coffee Café, managed on behalf of the state by University of Florida Historic St. Augustine, Inc.

• 1970

  Served as a working blacksmith shop for San Agustín Antiguo during the 1970s.

• 1968

  Reconstruction of Blacksmith Shop completed.

• 1967

  Judson Property demolished; reconstruction of Blacksmith Shop begins.

• 1783

  Treaty of Paris returns Florida to Spain; Morran leaves for England.

• 1782

  Property sold to David Morran, who rented one building to a blacksmith.

• 1771

  Oldest known record of the original structure on the site.

Historic reconstruction and tourist attraction

• Historic blacksmith shop interpretation

  Reconstructed 18th-century shop with double forge, dirt floor, and no windows.

• Crucial Coffee Café

  Coffee shop operating in the Blacksmith Shop today.

1. 1Blacksmith Shop (St. Augustine, Florida) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Blacksmith Shop - Wikidatawikidata.org