There is a new Facebook page for our Summer Show in August. Please check it out: Artisans at the Firehouse

Next Event: Easter Show at the Furnace Firehouse

Stop by and see us at our Easter Show on March 17 & 18.

We will be at the Robesonia Furnace Firehouse along w/ Handwerk Tin and Robesonia Redware
Time: 9am to 4pm both days

Robesonia Redware new website

The legacy of Lester Brieninger continues.

Former Breininger Pottery employees Curt and TJ, along with their dad Scott ( also a long-time employee of Breininger) are keeping the Pennsylvania German redware tradition alive.
They have started a business called Robesonia Redware.
Check out their new website: http://www.RobesoniaRedware.com/

Handwerk Tin has a new website

Our friends at Handwerk Tin are on the web.

Please stop by and take a look at their site. http://handwerktin.blogspot.com/  

More content will be added in the following weeks.

New website for the smithy

Our website is finally up and running.
Come and check us out at http://www.furnacecreekforge.com/
thanks

In Remembrance of Lester Breininger

Robesonia has lost someone who was truly larger than life on 12/3/11.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Lester Breininger who is now at rest after passing away at home in his beloved Taylor Mansion.

Lester was a man of extraordinary talents and abilities.
Thank you Lester for sharing your knowledge with and being kind to us over the years.
You are greatly missed by us both.

The below article is from the Reading Eagle today:

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=350378

Family members mourn renowned teacher, antique collector who died on Saturday, 12/3/11.
In a dining room adorned with 200-year-old Pennsylvania Dutch antiques, Barbara Breininger chatted Monday about her late husband's legacy.

Lester Breininger, 76, a renowned antique collector, teacher and potter, died Saturday in his Robesonia home. He had been under hospice care for complications due to Alzheimer's disease, family members said.

"Lester's spirit lives on in the things he's preserved and the lives of the people he touched," said Barbara, 76, his wife of 54 years.

Over more than six decades, Lester amassed one of the largest collections of Berks County antiques and artifacts ever assembled.

The collection, much of which reflected the county's German roots, filled the family's 20-room Victorian mansion. The Breiningers lived in the house, built by iron foundry magnate George Taylor in 1886, for 51 years.

Much of the Breininger collection was recently sold in a two-day auction at Pook & Pook gallery in Downingtown, Chester County.

Born in Tilden Township, Lester was the son of Lester and Mamie (Hunsicker) Breininger of Shartlesville.
He graduated from Hamburg High School and attended Kutztown University, where he earned a degree in science in 1957.

Lester and Barbara were married in 1957, the year she graduated from the Reading Hospital School of Nursing.

A teacher by profession, Lester taught biology in the Conrad Weiser School District for 33 years before retiring in 1991.

"We had a wonderful life together," Barbara said.

The Breiningers achieved national recognition for their redware pottery decorated with tulips, distelfink and other Pennsylvania Dutch motifs.
Their annual front porch sale of pottery, made in an outbuilding on the property, drew collectors from around the country. The 42nd, and last, porch sale was held in August.
Lisa Randolph, the Breiningers' daughter, marveled at her father's many interests.

"He was a teacher, a potter, an antique collector and a patriot," said Randolph, 50, of Washington. "All those things were deeply ingrained in him."

After her husband died, Barbara got out his red-and-white Patriotic Order Sons of America sash and placed it on the dining room table. Lester was a former state and national president of the order. POSofA Bernville Camp No. 113 met in the Robesonia Foundry paymaster's building on the Breiningers' property.

Scott Shultz, who followed Lester as POSofA state president, said the order is planning a memorial service for Lester. A Conrad Weiser teacher and a former student of Lester's, Shultz hopes to have the service at Conrad Weiser Middle School, where Lester once taught.

"He was very proud when one of his students became a teacher," said Shultz, 55, a former Conrad Weiser athletic director.

The Breininger family said there will be no funeral service because Lester's body has been donated to science.

Thank you to everyone we saw at our Christmas Show last weekend.

Thanks to everyone that helped make our Christmas Show at the Robesonia "Furnace Firehouse" a success.

Ken and Carolyn of Handwerk Tin along with Kurt, Brooke and TJ of Robesonia Redware along with both of us had a wonderful three days.

The Friends of the Robesonia Furnace had the museum open all three days and their collection of local artifacts is truly impressive.
They are to be commended for all of their hard work to preserve the heritage of our community.

We saw some familiar faces and made some new friends.
The weather was fantastic and I ended up in shorts and a polo shirt on Sunday. :)

Looking forward to next year.

The Spirit of Christmas Trail in Robesonia - Tickets are available now

The Spirit of Christmas Trail in the Robesonia area runs from 12/2 to 12/4.

Furnace Creek Forge, Robesonia Redware and Handwerk Tinsmiths are participating in the Trail and will be set-up at the Robesonia Furnace Firehouse.
The five other businesses outlined below are also participating.

"A Wrinkle in Time"

"Lori's Candy Station"
"The Salt Box"

"Rowe Sales and Service, Inc"

"1700 Historical Collectibles"

Tickets are available for $5.00 each from any of the participating merchants.
Tickets can be purchased before or during the Christmas Trail.
All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Robesonia Community Library.

Tickets are not needed to attend the Christmas Trail but you get the following perks with one:

A ticket entitles you to $5 off each purchase of $30 or more from each merchant on the Trail.
There are also over $600 in door prizes.
To be eligible for the door prize drawings you must have your ticket validated at each location on the Trail ( no purchase required).

Contact us for further details if needed or to purchase a ticket.
484.651.9402

Rainbow over Stouchsburg

While traveling backroads the other day from Schaefferstown to Millardsville via Richland I was able to capture these two images looking towards Stouchsburg:
The camera used is a little Canon pocket cam Powershot SX110.

The end of an era at the Robesonia Furnace

This past weekend, 8/20 and 21 was the final Breininger Pottery Porch Show which was first started way back in 1970.
We want to express our thanks and gratitude to Lester and Barbara Breininger for allowing us to be a part of the Porch Show for the previous sixteen years.
We would also like to express thanks to our new and previous customers who again helped to make it a successful weekend after hours toiling at the anvil.
Many of us that have grown up in this part of western Berks County have fond memories of Lester and his unique personality. Some had him as a teacher. Others knew him through local historical organizations. I spent many hours at the Taylor Mansion while growing up with his son Preston.



My earliest remembrance of Lester was as a little tyke during a Halloween trick-or-treat night. While out with my mom visiting local homes for candy, we walked up to these huge doors at the front of the Taylor Mansion. She rang the doorbell and stepped off to the side leaving me to wait alone. That scared me a little as this was my first time at this house and it after dark. The door opened slowly with a long drawn out squeak but no one was there. Ok, this is scary... The interior of the house was dark. Some strange noises could be heard from within but you couldn't see inside. I'm getting a little jumpy now.
Slowly this face comes into view from behind the door and this man was laughing at how scared I was. It was Lester and some of his children were there also.
That memory gives me a chuckle every now and then.

 While in high school at Conrad Weiser, I was part of a class that Lester and Mr McComsey taught which was modeled after the Foxfire program in Georgia. The founder of that program came to Conrad Weiser and discussed with us how it all started. That class was an interesting experience.


Lester encouraged me in my pursuit of blacksmithing and provided materials to read on the early blackmith's and how they plied their trade. He made me aware of some of the local smith's and there was at least one that worked at the Robesonia Furnace by the name of Moyer.
As a youth, I ate supper at their home many times and learned what spaetzle was. We dipped water for drinking out of a bucket from a spring up on a hill in the back of the property.

A number of years ago Lester's grandson, Allen Michael started hanging around the coal fire and anvil while I demonstrated during the Porch Show weekend. Of course what young man isn't interested in the roar of the fire and making sparks fly. I encouraged him to try hammering and showed him how to operate the forge blower. He picked it up fairly quick and in later years even demonstrated a few times for interested onlookers. I was glad for the break. LOL
Thank you Allen Michael for your friendship and quick wit.

Lester, being an avid historian of many things "local", has provided the citizens of our area with many important details and artifacts of how the Robesonia Furnace operated.

Thanks Lester and Barbara for all that you have done.

Almost Time for the Breininger Pottery Porch Show

August 20th and 21st.
Our tent will be set up with ironwork to sell and I'll be giving blacksmithing demo's.
Stop by and say hello.

Added a Little Giant mechanical hammer to our smithy

After waiting many years I was able to purchase a 50lb Little Giant mechanical power hammer to assist me in the smithy.

It was located at Tyson's Forge in nearby Fritztown.
Some friends and I made the move during an early weekend morning when traffic would be light.
A local backhoe operator loaded and unloaded it. Total time from start till finish was about three hours.

We used a template of the hammer base to mark and drill bolt holes in four 8"x 9" white oak beams.
The beams are bolted together with 5/8" threaded rod and the hammer is bolted down with 5/8" bolts.

The backhoe lowered the hammer onto the template and bolts and then the base was bolted down.
Both were then lifted so two 2x4's could be laid underneath the beams and it was gently pushed into the shop onto some pipe.
The backhoe continued to slowly push to its limit and then we took over by manually pushing and using prybars to yutz it into position.

The approximate weight of the hammer is 1800lbs not including the white oak beams.
Manufacture date was sometime during World War 1.

I ran a 220 line to the motor later that day and started it.
All grease and oil points need to be lubed up and then I'll give it a trial run.

Here are a few images to show how things went.

Breininger Pottery Christmas Show

Thanks to everyone that helped make the Breininger Pottery Christmas Show last Friday thru Sunday a success.
We were set up on the front porch of the Taylor Mansion along with Ken and Carolyn Handwerk of Handwerk Tin.
It was a bit cold at times but the time flew by.
Looking forward to next year.

Had a great time at the Hay Creek Festival

If you have never been to the Hay Creek Festival, you need to attend at least once.
Each day begins with a local Boy Scout Troop raising the flag and then ends with them lowering it.
Patriotism and Americana are in great abundance at this event and I am glad to see it.
There are Early American crafts and trades being demonstrated.
The two gentleman building Pennsylvania Longrifles are a favorite of mine to see.
Once a day there is a parade of old restored tractors.
Most unusual are the hit and miss engines and how they were used in every day life.
The belt-driven woodworking machines are fascinating.
While there I met some new friends and saw some old ones.
Spent a portion of the day on Friday and Saturday giving blacksmith demonstrations.
Looking forward to next year.

Next Event: Hay Creek Festival 9/10-12

Our tent will be set-up next to the Blacksmith Shop.

Stop by and say hello if you're in the area.

 http://www.haycreek.org/festivals.htm

September 10 - 12, 2010 (rain or shine), 10am till 5pm

Blog Site for Old Dry Road Farm

The new Blog for Old Dry Road Farm can be found here: www.dryroadfarm.blogspot.com/
Be sure to read their press release for the Annual Harvest and Acoustic Music Festival being held on 9/26 from 11am till 5pm.
We will be next to the white barn demo'ing blacksmithing and dutch oven cooking.

Next Event: 41st Breininger Porch Show 8/21 and 22

Hard to believe its time for another Porch Show. Time flies.

Stop by our tent to see what we have and to say hello.

Our next event: Lebanon Union Canal Days

Our sutler tent will be pitched on 5/15 and 5/16 at Union Canal Days in Lebanon.

http://lebanoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/canal-tunnel/canal-days

Here is an excerpt from their website:

Union Canal Days

For the past twenty years, on the third weekend in May, the Friends of the Union Canal Tunnel Park, under the auspices of the Lebanon County Historical Society, have sponsored Union Canal Days at the Union Canal Tunnel Park.

There is no admission charge for the festival and only a $1.00 per vehicle parking fee.

Hours:

Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

I believe admission is still free but there may be a small fee for parking.

Stop by and say hello if you're in the area.

We are back on Blogger

We're back on Blogger for the time being and am looking at a new Flash website.

WordPress seems like a good application but I can't get it to work as a Blogsite.

Once the Flash site is up and running we'll look at WordPress again as a stand-alone application.
One complaint I have with WordPress is the constant spam posts.
Sometimes 40 or more at a time. Never had that problem with Blogger.

Here is a photo of the Smithy during one of the February snowstorms.

The Furnace Creek Forge Blog has moved

We have moved our blog to a blogsite powered by WordPress.
Look for it at http://www.furnacecreekforge.com/
This is the last blog entry on Blogger.