History column: From the blacksmith to the hardware store; the winding history of hardware

Today, as I pick up some nails for the restoration of the Becker County Museum’s little cabin at the fairgrounds, I ponder the path of hardware over the years.

These days, people can head out to many places around here to get the hardware they need, like Beug’s Ace, L & M, Macs, Stenerson Bros., Menards, Hardware Hank, Fastenal and even Walmart. There are even more places to go for auto-related and other specialty parts.

Hardware is a broad category, covering a wide range of products. There are machine screws, cap screws, sheet metal screws, self-drilling screws, self-tapping screws, tacks, brads, nails of all different sizes, and hardware for roofing, framing, hanging…. you get it. I could carry on forever.

You might have a harder time finding old-fashioned hardware like cut nails or a bolt and burr, or a skeleton key or strap hinge. Some of those things still persist today, but they’ve become less common.

Way back in the day if you needed hardware, you might have gone to a blacksmith to have it made. Every piece was essentially a custom piece. Over time, as certain things became popular to make or build, the accompanying types of hardware began to get pre-made and mass-manufactured. Industrialization took over, and blacksmith shops virtually disappeared.

Today, blacksmithing is considered an obsolete trade. There are still some who practice it, but they’re generally thought of as metal-working craftsmen; the skill is seen more as an art than a profession.

Not so in the early days: Blacksmiths used to be vital to the development of a community.

In Becker County, one local blacksmith was Marion Charles O’Kelley. He lived from about 1860 to 1931, and was a general blacksmith and horseshoer. He arrived in Detroit (now Detroit Lakes) in around 1890 and set up shop. Folks in need of some metal work, such as work on their plows, would go see O’Kelley.

Later on, O’Kelley served as a police officer, and managed the local dump. He had a small house on Holmes Street, as noted in an old newspaper article published shortly after his death. He was one of several blacksmiths in local history; the Becker County Museum has more information on O’Kelley, for anyone interested.

It is fascinating to me how some things flow and change, while others stick around forever. We are still nailing things and forming metal as we've done since the pioneering days -- in some ways that have advanced over time, and in other ways that are exactly the same as in 1890.

Out at the fairgrounds right now, there is a crew working on restoring parts of the museum’s historical log cabin: Stop by and watch them use hardware and old-styled wood pieces. Stay back a little for safety, but have fun checking out the process and tools used.

Now, I’m off to pick up some 1.5” 4D galvanized box nails from a hardware store. In another time, I’d probably be on my way to visit O’Kelley.

The Becker County Museum is located at 714 Summit Avenue in Detroit Lakes. For more information, visit beckercountyhistory.org or the museum’s Facebook page .

This column is a regular feature of the Tribune's monthly History page. Kevin Mitchell may be reached at the Becker County Museum by calling 847-2938.