The Museums at Lisle Station Park Blacksmiths: Part One

Eight men are standing around the fire in the barn at the , where volunteer blacksmiths meet each Tuesday evening.

Four of them are part of the weekly presence on the campus, and members of the Lisle Heritage Society.

“We come out as long as the temperature is in the double digits,” Fousek says. In 2010 they didn’t miss a single meeting; this year, they only skipped sessions that fell around the February blizzard.

So what do they do?

According to volunteer Paul Novorolsky, the men “learn the craft and benefit the museum.”

Benefits include the creation of tools and metalwork for museum buildings. They built the stools in their work area, and shaped the latches on the windows and doors. According to volunteer Jim Fousek, the blacksmiths have also been known to honor repair requests for antique pieces. They're currently restoring the original “mail pole” that the trains used to carry correspondence in and out of the village.

When I first met them, they were preparing a presentation for a local Boy Scout troupe. Tonight they’re assisting the other four men in the room through the beginner’s blacksmithing course.

Only one grew up around the trade—Bob Goodwin’s father owned Bob's Ornamental Iron in Downers Grove. Others fell in after experiences with the Historical Society, and refine their skills with time. Fousek offered to help tear down a barn; now on top of his blacksmithing projects he’s been restoring the interior of the train engine on the museum campus.

Their students fall in with the same brand of curiosity. Kevin Fox said he watched their demonstrations at a public event (they're always open at Depot Days and Christmas festivities) and after a talk, decided to enroll.

Beginner and intermediate classes cover a single project and last three to four hours.