Oakland Mills blacksmith shop in danger

The blacksmith shop is literally falling down. Colonial Williamsburg staff called it "unparalleled by anything we have seen elsewhere on the East Coast."  Built in 1820 on the Columbia to Georgetown Turnpike, the house "Felicity" and shop is at 5471 Old Columbia Road next to Rt 29.  It remained a working forge until 1950.


Charles Ridgely Sterrett (changed his name to Charles Sterrett Ridgely) got the Oakland land from his mother and gave part of it to his brother James Sterrett about 1820 who built a mill at the site with the blacksmith shop and house; and a coopers house and shop.

Whipps blacksmith shop.   In 1844 William Whipps (1807-1861) bought the shop, house and 14 acres for $1860.  In 1850 the shop had two hand-operated fires with two employees making “tyres, h[orse]shoes, ploughshares.”  He died in 1861, was buried in the Whipps cemetery HERE, and "Felicity" was sold in 1866 for $6000 to Oscar Thompson.  In 1878, William's son Samuel Whipps (1831–1909) bought the property, and was followed by a series of owners.

“The blacksmith shop was extensively studied and documented by Colonial Williamsburg during their preparations for reconstructing the Anderson blacksmith shop, and Ed Chappell described it at the time as “unparalleled by anything we have seen elsewhere on the East Coast.” [HO-430]

More at HO-430 "Felicity" HERE
More posts on Oakland and Charles Sterrett Ridgely  HERE
 
©2018 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD