Brown-Moore Blacksmith Shop
Why it's listed
Brick blacksmith shop with an attached wood wagon shop, standing in the village of Merrittstown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, beside Township Road 326, the old drovers road to the west. The shop opened in 1822 and operated until 1939. After George Brown's death, John C. Moore, a blacksmith, wheelwright and wagon maker from Millsboro in Washington County, bought it in 1867. His five sons trained as apprentices there, and the younger sons ran it after he died in 1895. The building has two hand-operated stone forges with bellows, a slack tub, a steel anvil set on wood blocks, and a wagon tire shrinker and tire bender. Many tools date from the nineteenth century. The wagon shop was damaged by fire in 1918 and rebuilt in 1919. The shop served farmers, villagers and travellers, and it is regarded as one of the few surviving shops that documents this trade in the county.
Significance in brief: The shop served the village, nearby farms and travellers on the drover's road that passed through Merrittstown. The nomination states that its tools, forges and bellows are well preserved and that it is the best preserved of three blacksmith shops surveyed in Fayette County by the Historic American Engineering Record in 1989-1990. It is also argued to provide information on how blacksmiths and wheelwrights worked in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92000393, listed May 7, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 0.1 mi. W of PA 4020, Luzerne Township, Merrittstown |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | May 7, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000393 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1822 - 1939 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed in 1939 after the death of the last proprietor's health decline; the building is described as in sound condition with tools secured and periodic maintenance provided. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 39.97306, -79.89844 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92000393.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4975982
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.