Horseshoers, As Told By Riley Hinkle

This post is taken from Linglestown PA Bi-Centennial commemorative book. As told by Riley Hinkle in 1965 about the last blacksmith shop in Linglestown.

    "I bought young Dan out, and he bought from Orris who rented from Reimert, and Aldinger had it before him. Young Dan learned his trade as horseshoer from Orris. At one time the shop changed hands so fast we can't remember just when each owned it. It was an old shop that was standing  there a hundred years. It was an old shop when I was a boy 75 years ago. It was finally torn down and Nevin Moyer's house was built on the spot. I closed up shop in 1923.

    When I learned the trade around 1900, some horseshoers were charging eight cents a piece to set a horseshoe, and it was $1.00 for four new shoes all around.  We did other work, all general repairs around a wagon and around farm implements.  There was hardly a day when I didn't set 48 shoes.  I grossed about $3500 a year.  I could shoe a quiet horse when I was 12 years old.  You could make a good living, but you didn't have any spare money so you could buy something fancy or even go anywhere on a trip.

    I suppose I was the last blacksmith in Linglestown.  There's still a blacksmith at Grantville, but he doesn't shoe any horses.

    In the fall of 1904 the street car came to Linglestown and it changed over to the bus in 1934.  Before 1904, the mail route was by a team of two horses and a wagon.  I didn't do any of the blacksmithing for them because they had their work done in Shellsville or Harrisburg."