Emil Asp Blacksmith Shop

Tour Site #6

15880 36th St S | Google Maps
City of Afton Designated Historic Site

Built around 1910, Asp shoed horses, sharpened ploughs, and made runners for sleighs at this free-standing building until 1922 when he moved to Bayport and worked at Anderson Frame Corporation (1944 Obituary; 1930 Bayport City directory). The building retains most of its original features except for the garage doors that replaced the original tall barn entry. In 2001 the building was nominated and granted local historic designation, but it is still in need of physical preservation.

Emil Asp flood photo
Document location: Photo of 1900 flood showing Asp Blacksmith Shop, “History: Village of Afton,” IF Box 4, 2017.01.010, Afton Historical Museum.

(See Selma’s Ice Cream Parlor for a description of the 1965 flood.)

Built around 1910, Asp shoed horses, sharpened ploughs, and made runners for sleighs at this free-standing building until 1922 when he moved to Bayport and worked at Anderson Frame Corporation (1944 Obituary; 1930 Bayport City directory). The building retains most of its original features except for the garage doors that replaced the original tall barn entry. In 2001 the building was nominated and granted local historic designation, but it is still in need of physical preservation.

Nomination form, “Blacksmith Shops, Afton”
Document location: 10 Most Endangered Properties Nomination Form: “Blacksmith Shops, Afton,” 2017.01.092, Afton Historical Museum.
Emil Asp Blacksmith
Document location: 1999 photo of Asp Blacksmith shop, “Blacksmith Shops, Afton,” 2017.01.092, Afton Historical Museum.