Wilfred MacLean. This verse from the "The Village Blacksmith" is a dedication to these early tradesmen.

Under the spreading chest nut tree, The village smithy stands.

The smith a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands.

The muscles in his tawny arms,

As strong as iron bands.

In 1905, shoes for a horse cost ten cents a hoof and only twelve horses could be shod in a day. To put on two sleigh runners, it cost forty cents and a stone poker cost thirty cents. The blacksmith of today usually finds his only work at the race track. Today, it costs approximately $40 to shoe a horse.

In early years, the only mason listed in the Orwell Cove area was Alexander MacDonald, whose main work involved shoring up wells and erecting stone foundations for the many houses in Orwell Cove. Today, Byron MacLeod and Donald C. McLeod are the masters of this trade. These men use their skills to cut and dress stones, which are used for stone floors and fireplaces.

in 1861 , there were fifty-five tanneries on Prince Edward Island. One of these tanneries was located on Donald Nicholson's farm, on the Post Road, which is now the Trans Canada Highway.

There was much preparation before the hide was ready for tanning. After an animal was killed and the carcass skinned, the hide was covered with salt and soaked in a brine solution. This kept the hide from spoiling until it was ready for tanning. The hide was washed and soaked in a water and lime solution. This would clean, soften, and loosen any remaining hairs. The process was repeated. When the hides were ready for tanning, they were placed in a vat filled with an extract of ground up bark and leaves, which created "tannic acid". Every few days, the hides were put in a stronger solution and then put in a finishing vat for up to three months. Once the leather was cured, Edward Morrissey, a shoe and harness maker, would proceed to make

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