Municipal Register of Local Historic Places

Jos B. Michaud Blacksmith Shop

Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick

Also known as Forge Jos B. Michaud Boutique, Boutique de Forge Jos-B.-Michaud, Forge Jos B. Michaud Museum

Photo of the front façade taken from Bellevue Street

Photo of the front façade taken from Bellevue Street

Photo: Madawaska Planning Commission

Built
1894
Recognized
2009
By
Local government

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Jos B. Michaud Blacksmith Shop is a one-storey vernacular commercial building in the village centre, near Saint-François-Xavier Church on Commerciale Street. In 1894, Jean-Baptiste Michaud built the blacksmith shop as it is today.

Heritage value

Jos B. Michaud Blacksmith Shop is designated a Local Historic Place for its historic role in the community of Saint-François-de-Madawaska.

Having started as a blacksmith in 1886, Jean-Baptiste Michaud built his own forge in 1894, and it remained open until 1984. It operated for nearly 100 years, maintained by Jean-Baptiste Michaud and his son Joseph in turn. It is the oldest blacksmith shop still in existence in the region, and its location in the village centre, right beside Saint-François-Xavier Church, gives it a place of importance. It is a reproduction of the father’s first blacksmith shop in Saint-Pascal, Quebec.

The restoration, which includes materials and procedures of the time, lends a cachet of authenticity to the forge. The renovations were done when the Village of Saint-François-de-Madawaska decided to buy it in 1985. Not only was it given an authentic restoration, but all of the tools were identified and classified, forming a collection of artifacts inside. The blacksmith shop is now used as a museum.

SourceMadawaska Planning Commission, Saint-François-de-Madawaska Register of Historic Places, File 3.1 – "Boutique de Forge Jos.-B.-Michaud"

Character‑defining elements

The character-defining elements of the forge include:

  • location in the centre of the village;
  • rectangular one-storey massing;
  • gable roof;
  • restoration of the section that was used for woodworking, according to the original design;
  • main entrance with a sign reading “Boutique de forge Jos B. Michaud 1886-1984”;
  • chimney for the forge fire;
  • flag of the Republic of Madawaska on the right side of the building;
  • inside, a collection of tools of the era made by the blacksmith himself have all been washed, identified, and classified; the locks, handles, and hinges were all made at the forge;
  • current function as a museum.

End of the register’s text

Location

2056 Commerciale Street, Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, E7A, Canada

47.24319° N, 68.70543° W

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Nearby

All 4 places in Saint-François-de-Madawaska

Similar places

Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.

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