Murrie Blacksmith Shop: Horses Shod with Care and Neatness

Making It Home
Murrie Blacksmith Shop: Horses Shod with Care and Neatness

Murrie family, friends and coworkers standing in front of the new blacksmith shop on Deerpath. (Photo dated 1905, may actually be 1907.) Allen Murrie is pictured at center, seated on a donkey, with son Richard on his lap. Son Clifford Murrie is standing to the right, and daughter Helen Murrie is in a white blouse next to the white horse. William Heaney, coachman for the Pirie family, is seated in the carriage at left. Also pictured are several members of the Murphy family, who owned the livery next door.

179 East Deerpath in the 2010s. The building was massively altered in the 1930s and 1940s; Richard Norton reclaimed the building in 1984 and adapted it for his antiques business.

179 East Deerpath in the 2010s. The building was massively altered in the 1930s and 1940s; Richard Norton reclaimed the building in 1984 and adapted it for his antiques business.

After years as an employee in various blacksmith shops, Allen Murrie went into business for himself in 1903, taking over from E. V. Hough. For a time he operated out of Murphy’s Livery, in a natural marriage of carriage driver and horse shoer. He built his own shop next door in 1907 at 179 E. Deerpath, a building which still stands today.It was a challenging time in the blacksmith trade, as automobiles, automated farm equipment, and ready-to-purchase materials reduced demand for their services. Murrie Blacksmith ceased operation by 1913.
“AL MURRIE, Horseshoer. Horses shod with care and neatness. Special attention given to corns and contractions.” – 1903 advertisement in the Lake Forester