The Hammerman in Williamsburg: The Eighteenth-Century Blacksmith (1973)

This Colonial Williamsburg film, which premiered in 1973, depicts a master blacksmith and his assistants in Williamsburg, Virginia, as they forge and repair the community’s tools, farm implements, and firearms. The film’s name comes from the epitaph of Williamsburg blacksmith Hugh Orr, who rose to become a prominent businessman in the city, but whose tombstone remembers him simply as a “hammer Man.” The film features master blacksmith John Allgood, who worked at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for more than 30 years.

Produced by Arthur L. Smith, the head of Colonial Williamsburg's audiovisual department, "The Hammerman in Williamsburg" was one of dozens of educational films produced for use in schools, museums, libraries, and television broadcasts.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 educational institution and the largest U.S. history museum in the world.