About Hinges

The colonial blacksmith was responsible for performing the miracle of transforming lumps of red-hot iron into objects of utilitarian function on a daily basis. There was a great demand for hinges and the village smith was responsible for supplying this hardware. Hinges were needed for anything that opened and closed, from closet doors to blanket chests, from barn doors to pew doors in churches, from cabinets to outhouses.

Many were made in a number of different forms, each with multiple variations. Doors needed "L' or "H" hinges, barns needed "strap" hinges, cabinets needed "butterfly" hinges and great church doors were often hung by hugh decorative strap hinges.

The differences among hinges do provide an aid as to the date and geographic origin. Since the colonial blacksmith lived in a time with only a fraction of the levels of communication we have available today, he learned his trade from demonstrations and explanations from his father or grandfather. A generation later, he was giving instructions to his son. Particular styles became common to certain areas since there was little influence form outside the immediate community.

Seven Pines Forge takes great pride in reproducing hinges as there were made by the village blacksmith, finely crafting each one that will last generations.