Colonial Craftsmen
By: Michael Broderick
Introduction
Did you know that in colonial times people had to make things manually. Blacksmiths made things out of iron. Coopers made barrels and household items out of wood. Carpenters built all of the buildings. These men were very hard workers.
Horseshoe
A horse shoe is a piece of iron curved to the shape of a horses hoof. It protects the horses hoof by make rocks hit the metal instead of his hoof.
Barrel
A barrel is a type of container. It normally holds liquids but it can also hold solids. A Cooper mainly made barrels to hold supplies on long ship voyages.
Colonial House
A colonial house was normally made of wood or stone. Inside there were 1-2 rooms. It also had 1-2 chimneys.
Blacksmiths
Blacksmiths worked very hard at their jobs. Blacksmiths were people who made and repaired iron objects. First blacksmiths heated iron in a forge. Last they hammered the iron on an anvil to shape and weld it. They would shape and weld objects such as hinges, latches, andirons, horseshoes, farm tools, and household tools. Blacksmiths made a lot of iron objects but out of all of them horseshoes were the most important. Horseshoes were the most important because a lot of people owned and rode horses so they didn't want the horses feet to get injured. In conclusion Blacksmiths worked very hard.
Coopers
Coopers were an important type of colonial woodworker. Coopers were so important every ship going on a voyage had to have a Master Cooper on board. On a ship a Coopers job was to take care of the casks. If a Cooper was in a village his job was to make barrels and household items. The main type of wood Coopers used was oak. Sometimes he would use other types of wood such as white oak, hickory, cedar, pine, or ash. In conclusion Coopers were very important in colonial times.
Carpenters
Carpenters were very strong workers in colonial times. In colonial times Carpenters were people who built all of the buildings. They worked in groups to get the job done. One group of Carpenters made posts to support the building. The next group of Carpenters built the building. Another group of Carpenters put panels and fancy flooring in the building. The last group of Carpenters put the roof tiles on the building. In conclusion Carpenters were the strongest workers in colonial times.
Conclusion
In colonial times craftsmen did some pretty cool stuff. Blacksmiths make tons of things out of iron. Coopers made lots of important and useful things out of wood. Carpenters made buildings with only their strength. In conclusion colonial craftsmen were incredible at what they did
Glossary
Andirons: metal supports that hold wood burning in a fireplace.
Forge: a place where objects are made by heating and shaping metal.
Hinge: usually a metal piece that attaches to a door, gate, etc. to allow it to open and close.
Latch: a type of lock that can be opened from the inside by turning a lever or a knob
Panels: to cover a wall, ceiling, etc. with flat pieces of wood, glass, etc.
Sources
Books: Stevens,Bernard/Colonial America Craftspeople/Danbury/Grolier/1993
Online: Blacksmiths/WorldBook Student/2016/n.p/WorldBook/Web/4 Mar. 2016
Smidt,Warner/Carpentry/WorldBook Student/2016/n.p/WorldBook/Web/4 Mar. 2016
All about the Author
Michael Broderick 11 years old. His birthday is September 2nd 2004. His hobbies include being outside, baking, shooting a gun and bow, riding his ATV, and going on road trips. He has 2 dogs that are both Boston Terriers. The youngest dog is named Moose and the oldest dog is named Lola. He has 2 siblings, a younger brother and a younger sister. His brothers name is Adam and his sisters name is Zoe.