Former VA blacksmith shop plans to once again open shop as museum

It all started with a book and a vision.

"I saw the blacksmith shop in the book, then came to Onancock and found it and thought it would be a worthwhile thing to do, to preserve it, to preserve and extend his legacy as well as to chronicle the contributions that the black folk made to the advancement of folk here on the shore."

Gerald Boyd was born and raised on the Eastern Shore.

He tells 47 ABC he grew up not knowing how much history there is right in his back yard and since moving back to the shore in 2014, he's made it a mission to bring back some of that rich history to its communities.

He's starting with Samuel Outlaw, who is a 20th century blacksmith who made his mark in Onancock and whose shop is still standing tall after being built in the 1930s.

Boyd says, "Outlaw passed in 1994 at age 95-years-old and he graduated from Hampton Agricultural School, which is now Hampton University. He studied there for four years blacksmithing and he then came to the shore."

Boyd tells 47 ABC that outlaw didn't just open shop in Onancock, but he also served at his church for over 50 years as the Sunday school superintendent and church clerk.

"People remember him as this quiet yet quietly powerful man who worked diligently to further the interest of the community in which he lived."

A man that Boyd says ought to be remembered and his plan to turn Outlaw's shop into a museum already has all the foundation it needs to once again set up shop.

"In 1996 there was an assessment of the building and it's artifacts and then in 1998 another assessment was also done laying out exactly where his desk was and the contents on the desk and they found out exactly where they would have been located," explains Boyd.

The blueprint is there now the next step is allocating all the funds, but Boyd says with Onancock City Council fully behind the project and the many historians helping, he's sure it will get done.

"It's more than just about how things used to be done, but a part of living history as well."