KENILWORTH – The committee in charge of restoring and promoting a historic blacksmith shop here has been recognized by Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO).
The Lynes Blacksmith Shop Committee was awarded the A.K. Sculthorpe Award for Advocacy at the ACO’s annual heritage awards ceremony in Toronto on Oct. 3.
Committee chair Kate Rowley and Wellington North councillor Dan Yake were on hand to accept the award.
“This kind of community-initiated project can build a shared identity and increase collaboration across town lines,” stated Rowley in a press release.
The blacksmith shop committee was established in 2017 after the Lynes family donated the shop property to the township.
“Their vision statement is to restore, re-purpose and share the Lynes Blacksmith Shop and Homestead with visitors from both near and far and to keep it relevant for future generations,” the release notes of the committee.
The Lynes Blacksmith Shop opened in 1885 in a thriving village along the Garafraxa Road, now Highway 6.
For two generations the family operated the busy shop, helping to keep stage coaches on the road and farm machinery running. It closed in 1955.
Former owner Frank Lynes, whose father and grandfather worked in the shop, died in March 2015. He wanted the building to be preserved and donated to a historical society.
His daughter Krysia helped make that happen in 2017, when the family donated the land to Wellington North Township.
The recent win of the heritage award was acknowledged by Wellington North council.
Councillor Dan Yake, spoke of the recognition to Wellington North councillors on Oct. 7.
Yake said Wellington County was well represented at the awards ceremony in Toronto.
He noted representation included the Palmerston Railway Museum and the Marshall Block Building in Fergus (The Vault Coffee and Expresso Bar).
Yake said the award recognized advocacy for the heritage building previously being untouched for more than 65 years.
“This award recognizes an individual, informal group or established non-profit organization that at a critical point achieved exemplary success in a significant heritage crisis,” said Yake.
He noted there were 12 award categories for heritage projects and, “It was incredible to see some of the projects across the province.”
Yake added Rowley clearly stated that “without the support of the committee, council, township staff and the community, we wouldn’t have achieved this.”
Yake noted “the people who came here last fall were really impressed with the support of the project by the community.”
