I visited a living history museum forge and the blacksmith there was using a gas forge

I went to Sturbridge Village last weekend with my wife and was really excited to see their blacksmith shop. But man, I was disappointed when I walked in and saw a big gas forge running instead of a coal forge. I get that gas is easier and cleaner, but for a place that's supposed to show how things were done back in the 1800s, it felt like cheating to me. The guy working there was nice enough and clearly knew his stuff, but watching him heat up steel with a roaring gas burner just didn't feel authentic. I asked him why they switched and he said the museum got complaints about smoke and smell from visitors. I understand that, but isn't part of the experience supposed to be the real feeling of the old ways? Has anyone else run into modern tools at historical places like this? It kind of took me out of the whole experience.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_john1mo ago

I actually had the SAME letdown at a different living history place a few years back. The one near me in Ohio, Hale Farm and Village, still uses a coal forge so that was a good experience for me. I asked one of the interpreters there about it and he said they keep the coal because the docents argued it was more about the full sensory experience for visitors. Seeing the coal glow, smelling the smoke, hearing that crackle, it all matters for making you feel like you stepped back in time. Gas forges have their place for sure but not in a museum that's supposed to be authentic to the 1800s.

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casey161mo ago

Oh man that's so true! I had a similar thing happen at a historical site in Pennsylvania where they switched to gas and it just felt off, like something was missing from the whole experience. Hearing that Hale Farm sticks with coal makes me want to make the trip out there next time I'm near Ohio since that sensory stuff really does make history come alive.