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Situated in an old garage clad in
redwood barn boards, the Blacksmith shop includes all of the
equipment necessary for an old time blacksmith. A forge, anvil
and miscellaneous tools are showcased in the facility. The
walls are adorned with the burned imprints of cattle
brands from local area ranches.
Mr. Fabing and Mr. Spanne were both
blacksmiths. Undoubtedly our blacksmith shop features some of
the tools with which they were intimately familiar!

Outside the Blacksmith Shop is the anchor
from the "Chauncey," one of the seven Naval Destroyers that
were grounded off Honda Point in 1923. The anchor was
retrieved from the ocean by a Vandenberg Air Force Dive Club and
placed on a bluff above the site of the wreck. It sat as a
memorial at that location for many years. However, it was not
accessible to the public, since it was on Vandenberg Air Force
Base property. The bluff was becoming increasingly unstable
and the Air Force wished to have the memorial removed. Through
cooperation with the U.S. Navy and Vandenberg, the Lompoc Valley
Historical Society was given the anchor as a long term loan.
The anchor was badly rusted, having received no care since it was
raised from the sea. Historical Society volunteers treated it
with a coating of black rust inhibiting paint to preserve it.
Efforts are underway to move the anchor to another location on the
property giving it the dignity it deserves. Currently, it
shares space with a couple of wagons and other artifacts.

Above is a photo of the anchor
being placed on a truck for its ride into town to be
relocated to Historical Society
property. |