Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1893 — A Blacksmith's Museum. [ARTICLE]

A Blacksmith's Museum.

Henry B. Smith, of Detroit, Mich., ha 3 collected an 'interesting museum of local and general character. He began life as. a blacksmith at Murfreesboro, Tenn., and settled in Detroit in 1863. He worked hard for a little more than a bare living, and still found time and means to gather the things which Interested him, and which now form a valuable collection. As he himself explains it, he always watched the second-hand stores oi Detroit and other cities very carefully. Whenever he heard of an auction sale of the effects of an old or prominent citizen he made it a point to be on hand. That was the source from which many valuable relics were obtained, including those of General Cass and the Campau family. For many years past he picked up everything of historic interest which came within his reach. He has embodied in his museum the Bela Hubbard collection of coins, that of Herbert Bowen, the Young collections, ajid many others of equal note. He also picked up many valuable odds and ends at New York auction sales. His collection includes a very complete assortment of the relics collected by General Lewis Cass. In it are old newspapers dating back to 1799, an ancient warming-pan, old brass andirons, tall brass candlesticks, candlestick trays or waiters, and ponderous snuffers. From the Abbott homestead he has andirons, trays, snuffers, candlesticks and tongs, bought from the Jew dealers after they had been sold at auction, and from the old Campau home the old iron coffee mill, candle molds, flat irons, three tin and two pottery teapots, sugar bowl and cream pitcher. A copper stew kettle of unique design was made in England in 1760, and a small hair trunk was owned by Mrs. John E. Warren in 1750, and given to Miss S. M. Warren, a Detroit descendant, in 1852. There is a brass tea kettle that once belonged to George Washington, and another that was used by Mrs. James K. Polk, and a unique brass candlestick that was used by Sir William Johnston. There is a map of the city oi London in 1807, one of Detroit in 1836, one of Washington in 1850, valuable old steel portraits of Washington, General Harrison, grandfather of the President; Daniel Webster, Edward Everett and Henry Clay. TJiese were executed many years age and are very rare. Mr. Smith’s museum includes an almost innumerable collection of relics of the wars of the Revolution, 1812, and the Rebellion. There are four trees which contain cannon balls and grape shot, a very ancient and curious English bar shot, no less than sixty- f our different styles of pistols, ranging in age from the invention of such weapons down tc the present time, me being a twelvechambered old French blunderbuss, the saber carried by General John Morgan during his famous raid, a banjo made from an old pie pan and piece's of wood by a Union soldier in Libby Prison, and what he claims to be the key of Libby Prison itself. He has also a collection of coins numbering some 6,000 pieces —New York Collector.