Oakland Mills Blacksmith House and Shop, historic house in Maryland, United States
The Oakland Mills Blacksmith House and Shop is a wooden residential building with an attached smithy dating to around 1820 in Howard County, Maryland. The main house has a simple rectangular shape with a gable roof and German siding, while the shop to the south consists of two single rooms on a low stone foundation. The property also includes a smokehouse with German siding and the remains of a springhouse that was used for water storage and food preservation.
The property was founded around 1820 by the Ridgely family and operated as a blacksmith shop until 1950. William F. Whipps Jr. was the last operator, closing the forge after more than a century of metalworking and repairs.
The name Oakland Mills refers to the mill that once operated here. The property shows how craftsmanship and farming were closely connected, and how essential the blacksmith was to daily life in this rural area.
The property sits next to Old Columbia Pike on flat ground and is easily accessible on foot. The structures stand close to the road, making them visible when passing by, though a tall wall separates the site from the nearby Highway RT 29.
The shop still contains an original forge and old tools today, making it a rare example of a working blacksmith workspace. Historians from Colonial Williamsburg recognized this site as unmatched on the East Coast for its craft construction and documentation.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
