History Notes and the blacksmiths shop

History Notes

A successful Market held on Saturday although a few usual helpers were unavailable -thank you to those who came and helped out. There will be another market next week based on second hand books - we are hoping with low prices we will be able to clear a lot of volumes. There will be a few other excess items on sale as well. Some of the normal stallholders will also be present with their wares.

A number of our members are busy with medical appointments and working on other projects so the advertised Annual General Meeting has now been moved to Melbourne Cup day to attract more members. The street stall is still on its advertised day.

As far as history goes I have again turned to the newspaper notes that past secretary, Betty Crowley, had collected. There was a blacksmith's shop in the centre of town in the early 1900's. The shop was owned by George Cutmore and was close to his home in the area of today's library.

Mr Muir worked the shop with his staff including Bill Blackall (brother of Harry), and Pat Kelaher who was a brother of Bert and Dan Kelaher. The staff were kept busy with railway workers bringing their draught horses in to be shod. The horses were used to pull small drays which were used for excavating railway hill before building the railway station and sheds. Apparently, the hill was originally part of the travelling stock route before the train arrived!

The blacksmith's shop was also attending to old damaged cart wheels. The old metal tyre had to be removed and then a new one was heated by packing it with bark and lighting the bark. When it was red hot it was handled with big metal pinchers and hammered on to the wooden wheel. The wheel was then spun around in a water trough to cool it off. In dry weather cart wheels would shrink and the metal rim would come loose. Apart from the blacksmith business Mr Cutmore ran a carrying business from Manilla.

This article also mentions Fred Pearce's baker's shop on the northern side of the blacksmith's shop. This shop was destroyed in the 1898 fire and the baker also lost his flour although it had been stacked in the middle of Queen Street for safety. After the fire the baker rebuilt his shop, suffering a broken leg when he fell off a ladder. Finally he got back to work but he appears to have retired by 1908/9 and the shop was pulled down.

This little section of history was printed about 1910 and lists several other businesses of interest. More next week.