Webb Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

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LOCATION: Parley & Granger Streets

The Webb brothers—Chauncey, Edwin, Edward, Pardon, and James—all lived and worked in Nauvoo at some point, but it was Edwin who built a blacksmith shop on this site in 1843. All eventually went west, but Edward died of cholera on the trail.

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360° Walk-Through

Take a look inside the Webb Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop right from your computer or smart phone by checking out our 360° Photos. Click on the links during the tour to continue through the house.

`Wainwright Shop`

Image Gallery

Peek inside the Webb Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop as you scroll through our Image Gallery.

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Webb Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

This is a reconstruction of Webb’s 60-foot-long building that was torn down in 1879. It stands on the same spot and resembles the original building as closely as possible.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

There were two rooms in the shop. This smaller room had two forges. One was used for making horseshoes and doing other blacksmithing work. The other was large enough to accommodate wagon “tires” that had to be heated and bent before mounting.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

While Edwin owned this shop, his brothers worked with him when they weren’t on missions, and they all assisted the Saints in making wagons in the days before their expulsion from Nauvoo.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

The two anvils, bench vise, bellows, and a few tools in this room belonged to James and Andrew Shupe, blacksmiths in the area who worked at the same time as the Webb brothers.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

The Webb brothers made iron parts for wagons and carriages, but they also made horseshoes and other implements needed in everyday life.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

A mini horseshoe is usually presented to each family at the end of a blacksmith demonstration.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

The larger east room in Edwin’s shop was devoted to wainwright and wheelright work. That included making wagon wheels, boxes, axels, and seats.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

A completed wagon was only about ten feet long and four feet wide. In 1845-46, when nearly every family in Nauvoo needed a wagon, this shop and others were kept busy making and outfitting them. The Webb brothers were therefore among the last to leave Nauvoo.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

In the wainwright room, visitors learn about the many steps involved in making a wagon wheel.

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Blacksmith & Wainwright Shop

Chauncey, the oldest brother, returned to Iowa in 1856 to make handcarts for emigrating Saints. He also assisted in rescuing the stranded Martin Handcart company later that year.

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