Municipal Heritage Site

Amos Blacksmith Shop

Waskada, Manitoba

Primary elevations, from the northeast, of the Amos Blacksmith Shop, Waskada, 2007

Primary elevations, from the northeast, of the Amos Blacksmith Shop, Waskada, 2007

Photo: Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2007

Built
1927
Recognized
1999
By
Local government

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Amos Blacksmith Shop, completed in 1927, is a small concrete building on a mid-block site in Waskada's business district. The municipal designation applies to the one-storey building and its grounds.

Heritage value

The Amos Blacksmith Shop in Waskada is a rare link to the era of the village blacksmith shop and the role played by many such unassuming structures in agricultural communities. James Renwick Amos, who came to nearby Deloraine from New Brunswick in 1895, erected his first blacksmith shop on this site in 1899 and, after losing two buildings to fire, constructed this utilitarian structure of poured, formed concrete. The building,also features an internal frame of thick wooden beams and posts that support both the roof and the line shaft used to drive several vital pieces of equipment. Now a museum, this shop was operated by members of the Amos family until 1960 when changing agricultural technology rendered its services unnecessary.

SourceVillage of Waskada By-law No. 4-98, February 16, 1999

Character‑defining elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Amos Blacksmith Shop site include:

  • its mid-block location on a side street in Waskada's business district, with the building oriented east-west amidst other commercial structures

Key elements that define the building's unadorned exterior character and notable construction type include:

  • the long narrow one-storey rectangular massing with minimal fenestration
  • the construction of undecorated poured concrete with the marks of the board forms visible
  • the large street-level doorways at each end, of vertical boards with metal hardware, including a double front door, one side hung on wide metal hinges, the other side suspended, and a rear double suspended door
  • the single wood-panelled pedestrian door with metal hardware

Key elements that define the building's interior character and blacksmith function include:

  • the open plan, high-ceilinged with exposed beams, posts and concrete floor and walls
  • the minimal details and finishes, including the diagonal door bracing, the specialized shelving relating to the blacksmith's trade, etc.

End of the register’s text

Location

101 Second Street, Waskada, Manitoba, R0M, Canada

49.09717° N, 100.80179° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.