This weekend, May 18 and 19, come join The Campaign staff and celebrate the trades at Catoctin Furnace in Thurmont, Maryland.
This annual festival celebrates the ironmaking history in Maryland and features blacksmith demonstrations, live iron-pour with Keystone Ironworks, children’s activities, and more. There are plenty of hiking trails nearby Catoctin Mountain Park and the Museum of the Ironworker will be open all weekend.
The National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center joined in the demonstrations in 2023. Employees of the carpentry section provided a log hewing demonstration for the crowd. Log hewing is the process of taking a log in its natural rounded shape and converting it to lumber with flat surfaces. This skill was important for the construction of many log structures, including the Collier’s Log House in Catoctin. View photos of the process below.
As part of Saturday’s activities, Keystone Ironworks provided a live iron-pour demonstration. Participants craved out their designs in sand blocks leading up to the event. Our staff created a stencil and craved the logo for The Campaign for Historic Trades. View the photos below that showcase the entire process.
Not able to make it this weekend? Download our coloring pages to complete activities at home.
For more information on this event, view https://catoctinfurnace.org/.