G. Krug & Son Ironworks and Museum

Last updated

G. Krug & Son Ironworks
G. Krug & Son Building Front.jpg
Baltimore osm-mapnik location map.png
Red pog.svg
USA Maryland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
G. Krug & Son Ironworks and Museum
Location415 W. Saratoga St., Baltimore, Maryland
Coordinates 39°17′34″N76°37′20″W / 39.29278°N 76.62222°W / 39.29278; -76.62222
Built1810 (1810)
Architectural style Victorian
NRHP reference No. 82004747
Added to NRHP1982

G. Krug & Son Ironworks is an iron works located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1810 by German immigrants, and is the oldest continuously operating blacksmith shop in the United States. [1] [2]

Contents

History

A blacksmith business was founded on the site in 1810 by German immigrant Augustus Schwatka, at the time on the outskirts of the city, it repaired cart wheels and horse shoes. [3] [4] Between 1830 and 1873 it was owned by Andrew Merker who had bought the business from Schwatka's children. [5] In 1858 Merker hired German immigrant Gustav A. Krug as a helper, and by 1868 a Baltimore business directory lists the company name as "Merker, A. & Krug". [5] [3] [6] By this time they were specializing in iron fence railings and grills. [5] Merker became "invalid" around 1873, and he dissolved his interest in the company turning it over to G. Krug on July 1, 1873. [7] [8] As Baltimore became more prosperous, higher-end homes and buildings needed ornamental ironwork, and the company expanded into this niche. [4] Under Gustav A. Krug, the company's fortunes increased, becoming by the end of the 19th century a major ornamental ironworks, shipping products to the Eastern and Southern United States. [6]

Krug's prime years were between the end of the Civil War and World War I. [3] The peak of its decorative ironwork output was between about 1890 and 1910, when highly ornate architectural iron was most popular. [6] After World War II, there was a drive towards modernization, stainless steel, and other modern materials, and the business for ornamental ironwork declined. However, beginning around 1970, there was increased demand for a certain product: ornamental iron security gratings for windows. [3] Today, Krug's produces iron grills, railings, and other architectural elements often seen on buildings and fences throughout Baltimore and the United States. [9] The Krugs' signature "Otterbein Style" can be seen on many buildings throughout Baltimore. [10]

According to Allison Robicelli:

The works are visible nearly everywhere in Baltimore and Washington, DC, from the gates of Greenmount Cemetery, to the railings of the Peabody Library and the hospital gates at Johns Hopkins University to the historic buildings of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. [2]

Other clients have included the Baltimore Basilica, Homewood House on the campus of the Johns Hopkins University, Otterbein Church, the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon Place, the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, Fort McHenry, the Lord Baltimore Hotel, the Hippodrome Theatre, and the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House. [4]

As of 2025, the family has operated the business for five generations. [10] The current president is Peter Krug, whose father was Theodore A. Krug, grandfather was Theodore Frederick Krug, great-grandfather was T. F. Gustav Krug, and great-great-grandfather was Gustav A. Krug. [4]

Buildings and museum

The ironworks are located in a historic complex of buildings: a two-story gable-roofed building from the early 19th century housing the earliest shop, a four-story Victorian building with a business office on the first floor and storage rooms above, and a three-story shed-roofed addition from 1870 to 1880.

A Baltimore City commission threatened to destroy the works in the 1970s when it wanted to tear them down and build a parking lot. Thanks to the efforts of then-president Theodore A. Krug, the works were saved; the buildings were restored, and in 1982, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [4] [11]

In 2014, they opened a non-profit blacksmith museum at the location. It blends historical exhibits with the for-profit active ironworks. A tour includes watching the crew work; they use a combination of antique fire-and-hammer methods and contemporary metalworking technology, including plasma and laser cutting machines. There are exhibits of Krug's historic metalwork, project drawings, and antique business ledgers. A room holds samples of fence that Krug forged for the restorations of the Old Naval Hospital and the Marine Commandant's House, both in Washington, DC. There is a display of historic 19th-century locks and keys, along with replicas Krug made in the 1930s for Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. There are displays of grates for old bank teller windows, hardware such as door hinges, and decorative pieces showing metal hammered into curling leaves. [12]

References

  1. ↑ "America's Oldest Ironworks: A Tour at G. Krug & Son". Baltimore Heritage. November 8, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Robicelli, Allison (2017). "G. Krug & Son". 111 Places in Baltimore That You Must Not Miss. Cologne: Emons. p. 94.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sherwood, John (1995). Maryland's Vanishing Lives. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 47-49.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Rasmussen, Frederick N. (June 18, 2020). "Theodore F. 'Ted' Krug, former president of the historic G. Krug & Son ironworks, dies". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Latrobe, Benjamin (1995). Baltimore: Industrial Gateway to the Chesapeake. Baltimore Museum of Industry. p. 94.
  6. 1 2 3 Barker, Ellen Lee (Winter 1969). "Notes on the Maryland Historical Society Collections: G. Krug & Son, Makers of Artistic Wrought Iron Work". Maryland Historical Magazine. 64 (4): 420–421.
  7. ↑ "The Copartnership which heretofore existed...". The Baltimore Sun. March 3, 1876. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "The Funeral of Andrew Merker". The Baltimore Sun. May 29, 1876. p. 4.
  9. ↑ Zembala, Dennis; Edwards, Mark R. (November 1980). National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for Krug Iron Works (Report). Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Industrial Museum / Maryland Historical Trust. NRHP 82004747, MD B-1038 – via National Park Service.
  10. 1 2 Cutter, Patrick. "G. Krug & Son Ironworks and Museum". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  11. ↑ "National Register Information System – G. Krug & Son (#82004747)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  12. ↑ Hirsch, Arthur (October 14, 2014). "Baltimore blacksmith shop to run nonprofit museum". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved July 26, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.