Henry Haus immigrated from Switzerland to the United States in the 1880s and apprenticed as a blacksmith in Pope Valley, CA. A decade later, he purchased the shop and ran it as his own for more than fifty years, finally closing it down in 1950. Since then, very little has changed inside. Limited tours have been given, but virtually nothing was touched or moved in the main parts of the shop since its closure.
In April of 2016, Berkeley master blacksmith, Jerry Coe was given permission to tour the shop for the purpose of producing this video. In it, he guides the viewer through the dusty, but well preserved glimpse into the workings of a country blacksmith shop that dates back well over a century.
His intimate knowledge of the craft provides any interested viewer a look at the tools and working environment Mr. Haus employed over the course of his life.
Enjoy this privileged look into a recent past of an ancient craft that is still vibrant in today's world of cell phones, jet planes and television.
