{"nrhp_refnum":"97001511","name":"Jackson Blacksmith Shop","other_names":["DHR File No. 37-163"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2558 Blacksmith Shop Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Goochland","county":"Goochland County","state":"VA","lat":37.74501302800007,"lon":-77.90462246499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-12-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story, 16' x 24' pole-construction blacksmith shop built in 1932 on Jackson Shop Road area, about one mile south of Sandy Hook on U.S. Route 522 near Goochland, Goochland County, Virginia.","why_significant":"The shop is argued to be significant under Criterion A as the last surviving blacksmith shop of the many once found in Goochland County and the region. It also illustrates three generations of an African-American family practicing the trade, beginning with Henry Jackson, who learned it in slavery. It represents a practical, locally sourced method of construction.","narrative":"Built in 1932 about one mile south of Sandy Hook on U.S. Route 522, this small blacksmith shop in Goochland County measures 16 by 24 feet. Its walls are vertical boards attached to pole beams set in an earthen floor, with a galvanized metal roof. The family cut the lumber at a nearby sawmill, chose materials that were cheap and quick to use, and never built a chimney. Inside are a forge made of local rock, a hand-powered blower bought in 1915, and an anvil and hammer more than 130 years old. George W. Jackson, Jr. built and worked the shop until the early 1970s, following his father and grandfather. His grandfather Henry Jackson learned the trade as a slave and opened a shop nearby in 1880. The shop is listed as the last surviving blacksmith shop of its kind in the county and region, and as a record of African-American craft and local industry. The roof and side boards were replaced in 1995.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1932-1947","architect_builder":"G. Wilson Jackson, Sr.","architectural_style":"Other","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function listed as vacant/not in use, though the text describes the shop being reopened in 1995 for tours, displays and demonstrations; roof and side boards were replaced in 1995.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.818998-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/6809/41680993/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/97001511.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001511/aad0335e02-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001511/aad0335e02-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ser Amantio di Nicolao","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackson_Blacksmith_Shop,_view_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ser Amantio di Nicolao</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackson_Blacksmith_Shop,_view_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680993","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Blacksmith_Shop","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712614"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/goochland-county/jackson-blacksmith-shop-97001511/"}