Not a great photo but it is warmer.  This is inside the J.B. Baker Blacksmith Shop (my great grandfather).  I believe the shop was built around 1845 by John Watson, who manufactured shoes.  “In those days the Bosworth brothers of Halifax were making shoe boxes and selling them to Brockton. Daily trips were made to Brockton with a four-horse team. All the horses were shod at this shop and totaled more than 400.

After answering an advertisement Jared Baker moved to Halifax in 1894 to work as a blacksmith. After working at the blacksmith shop for 21 years, he bought it in 1915 and an addition was built on the east side of the old building to include automobile repair and work. J.B. Baker was the first to offer a filling station and garage in Halifax” (Text taken from the JB Baker Blaksmith Shop Restoration Project brochure).

While the fire is going in this photo, it was not kept lit for very long.  Snow, a nest, an animal or something seemed to be blocking the chute.  At one point it was pretty darn smokey in the blacksmith shop. While it was lit, it was interesting to watch the two men working to keep the fire going.  The man in the green jacket was continuously turning a crank.  I believe it must have been a type of bellow to help ignite the fire.  The other man’s job was to keep shoveling in the coal.  Other than my eyes watering from the smoke, the heat felt nice, while it lasted.