Grandpa Weber's Blacksmith Shop
by Lynn Sprowl
Title
Grandpa Weber's Blacksmith Shop
Artist
Lynn Sprowl
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Grandpa Weber's Blacksmith Shop
Red Oak II was actually the brainchild of artist Lowell Davis who grew up in the “real” Red Oak, Missouri, about 18 miles northwest of the “new” Red Oak II. The original Red Oak, like many other rural agricultural towns across the country, started to fade sometime after World War II. After Davis had left the area for a number of years, he returned in the 1970’s to find his home town had become a ghost town.
In 1987, Davis was living on a farm near Carthage that was little more than an empty cornfield. His creative inspiration soon led him to turn his acreage into a tribute to his home town and before long Red Oak II was born. He began to buy homes and businesses from the original townsite and other rural ghost towns, painstakingly moving them to the new site and restoring them to their original “grandeur.” Two buildings that were important in Davis’ life are the blacksmith shop, where his great-grandfather once practiced his trade.
Uploaded
September 26th, 2018
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