VILLAGE BLACKSMITH
Vernon Grayson, son of Ben and Mary Fout Grayson for whom Graysons Gap Rd was named, was the blacksmith for the village around the turn of this century. Not only did he shoe horses, but also built spring wagons and operated a gasoline powered lumber planning mill. The blacksmith shop, with its anvil, bellows, forge workbench and vise was a source of fascination of the children of the community.
Much earlier, Thomas Athey Martin (1838 –
1907) also operated a blacksmith sop a mile or so from the Antioch Church on
the present day Henry Thorn property, originally the Martin Homestead, in a log
building still standing today.
MINERAL COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA, FAMILY TRAITS, TRACKS
AND TRAILS