The Repository
ZOAR – The rhythmic tapping of a hammer against heated steel echoed in the blacksmith shop at Historic Zoar Village.
Through a large opening, a chilly but sunny outdoor scene was visible on a recent Saturday morning, but inside the building, it was as if time had been turned back to an era when parts for horse-drawn wagons and other essentials were crafted by hand.
As a coal-fed fire raged inside a forge, 17-year-old Austin Shaffer, of Dover, patiently cranked a handle to blow oxygen into the flames to achieve a temperature of around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shaffer was under the tutelage of Scott Reynolds, 50, of Ashland.
Alison Matas
Last summer, I took a spontaneous trip to Historic Zoar Village.
A detour off the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail led to the village’s downtown, where I explored antique shops, a German-style bakery with a walk-up window and the beautiful Zoar Garden.
I remember peeking through the window of Donnie’s Tavern a sports bar on the main drag through the historic village and thinking it would be a fun place to eat, just because of the location.
It took me six months, but I finally went back for dinner at Donnie’s. I expected run-of-the-mill bar food and was pleasantly surprised at how sophisticated (and delicious) the menu was. I can’t recommend a visit to Zoar and a meal at Donnie’s Tavern enough.
ZOAR – The rhythmic tapping of a hammer against heated steel echoed in the blacksmith shop at Historic Zoar Village.
Through a large opening, a chilly but sunny outdoor scene was visible on Saturday morning, but inside the building, it was as if time had been turned back to an era when parts for horse-drawn wagons and other essentials were crafted by hand.
As a coal-fed fire raged inside a forge, 17-year-old Austin Shaffer, of Dover, patiently cranked a handle to blow oxygen into the flames to achieve a temperature of around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shaffer was under the tutelage of Scott Reynolds, 50, of Ashland.