The centres of manufacturing in the community were the workshop where wood products were produced and the blacksmith shop, where everything from nails to door hinges and plough shares were made.

The blacksmith was a skilled craftsman capable of hammering the molten iron to the desired shape and of tempering steel to make a knife blade or an axe.

His routine chores were the shoeing of horses and oxen and fitting new tires on the buggies and wagons.