Community Talk with Local Master Blacksmith & Historian, Jeffrey Miller

Damariscotta Historical Society to Host Master Blacksmith and Historian, Jeffrey Miller, for Historical Talk on Early Settlement of the Damariscotta River and MidCoast Maine on Tuesday, June 24 at 7 PM

The Damariscotta Historical Society will be hosting local master blacksmith and historian, Jeffrey Miller, for a community talk on early settlement of the Damariscotta River and MidCoast Maine. The talk will take place at the Damariscotta Historical Society located at 3 Chapman Street on Tuesday, June 24th at 7 PM. The presentation is free for both members and non-members. Refreshments will be served.

Jeffrey Miller, Blacksmith and Historian, brings over 50 years of study and research to his traditional blacksmith work. Of special interest to Jeff is the New England history of the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries. Since moving to Waldoboro, his focus has been primarily on the period between 1600 and the 1760s.
Jeff studied traditional blacksmithing at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and with master blacksmith, Dick Everett of Connecticut. Jeff has worked as head blacksmith at Old Sturbridge Village and Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum in New Hampshire, before establishing his own shop as a full-time operation; he is now semi-retired. For the last nine years, Jeff has worked, during the summer season, as a part-time costume interpreter at Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site. In addition to sharing the history of the area with visitors, he has applied his skills to the ongoing fishermen’s house project at the site.
His research background allows him to share with his customers not only his skills in forging reproduction ironware (or repairing antique pieces) but also offers them the confidence that he is providing work appropriate to the era they are trying to complement. Jeff’s customers have included historic sites, restoration contractors, private individuals restoring their homes and barns, and re-enactors interpreting various historical periods. In addition to his work at his shop, Jeff has given workshops in blacksmithing and coopering, and presentations on other traditional trades.