The Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop and House are historic buildings located in

Haverhill, Iowa Haverhill is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 165 at the time of the 2020 census. Sites in Haverhill include the Immaculate Conception oratory, the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop and House, and the Mid-Iowa Co-O ...

, United States. The complex includes the blacksmith shop from the early 1880s, a garage addition from 1915, a house from the early 1890s, and a summer kitchen (date uncertain). It is a state historic site.

History

A native of

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; Swabian German, Swabian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fe ...

, Matthew emigrated with his family to the United States in 1873, settling in

Effingham, Illinois Effingham is a city in and the county seat of Effingham County, Illinois, Effingham County, Illinois, United States. It is in South Central Illinois. Its population was 12,252 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Effingham, IL Micropolita ...

. While living there, he invented and patented a wire-binder grain harvester. He received financial backing from his neighbors and others in town, however the Deering Harvester Company successfully marketed a similar machine about the same time and his machine failed. He moved to Iowa, settling near

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

where he met Maria Hoffman. Matthew moved to Haverhill in 1883, and he opened a blacksmith shop. He married Maria the same year, and they lived on the second floor above the shop. Together they raised eight children. As the business prospered, Matthew expanded the shop and in the early 1890s built the two-story

Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

frame house. The summer kitchen may have been on the property when Matthew bought it, but it cannot be determined when it was built. It is from the same era as the shop and the house. In addition to the normal blacksmith tasks, Matthew received patents on several of his inventions. In addition to the wire grain-binder, he also received patents for the Perfection De-Horning Clipper (1895), fence stretcher (1899), Perfection Wedge Cutter (1901), a type of nut pliers (date unknown), and Edel's Garden Weeding and Cultivating Hoe (1924). Based on the testimonials on his brochures, he sold his products to customers in the Midwest and Northeast. He also made metal grave markers similar to those found in Germany. Outside of the German-Russian immigrants of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, this type of grave marker is rare in the United States. While Matthew operated the blacksmith shop into the late 1930s, he realized he needed to adapt in order to stay in business. He expanded the shop in 1915 to include automobile repairs. His son Louis went

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

to study auto repair, and joined his father in business. Matthew died in 1940. Louis moved to

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

in 1952, but continued to maintain his father's blacksmith shop basically as he had left it. He returned to Haverhill in 1964, and re-opened the automobile repair shop on a part-time basis. Louis auctioned off his tools in April 1978, and moved to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

where he died the following month. The complex was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983, and Louis Edel's heirs donated it to the

State Historical Society of Iowa The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI), a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, serves as the official historical repository for the State of Iowa and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa history ...

in 1986, which operates it as a historic site.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edel, Matthew, Blacksmith Shop and House Blacksmith shops Victorian architecture in Iowa Historic sites in Iowa Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Marshall County, Iowa Houses in Marshall County, Iowa German-American culture in Iowa German-American history