Photo by by Lourdes Vasquez

Photo by by Lourdes Vasquez

Photo by by Lourdes Vasquez

Once vital business preserved in replica

When Frisco was a farming community not so long ago, there was a business in town that nearly every resident frequented: the local blacksmith shop.

In Frisco, that shop was founded in 1923 by A.J. Gunstream and nestled on the corner of Third and Main streets. When Gunstream first opened the doors, Frisco was little more than a speck on the Texas landscape with a small population.

"It is very important to know the type of people that built [the shop] and grew Frisco," said longtime resident Bob Griffin, who is also a volunteer with the Frisco Heritage Museum. "They planned everything for a better Frisco."

Griffin remembers the shop well and reminisces about the way families would flock to have their farming equipment fixed. The original owner sold the business in 1937 to Tennessean John Gaby who would change the name to Gaby's Blacksmith Shop. Griffin recalls being about 7 years old and hanging out with the new owner's family.

"I lived across the lot from them," Griffin said. "I spent a lot of time with them fishing, hunting and blacksmithing."

He came to know the work style of Gaby and his two sons, Mack and Harry, who often helped meet the demands of customers.

"You didn't rush [John]," Griffin said. "You would bring [an item in need of repair] and tell him to get to it when he could. Sometimes you'd get it that day."

The original blacksmith shop was made of wood and destroyed by fire in 1937, but the Gaby family rebuilt with a new metal structure and kept the business running. John Gaby operated it until 1954, when his sons took over. The shop closed for good when Mack Gaby retired in 1985.

The structure itself no longer exists, but its replica is part of the Frisco Heritage Museum collection. Photos of the original shop, along with branding irons, anvils and tools handmade by the Gaby's are on display.

Griffin, who helps with blacksmith demonstrations at the replica shop, said he wanted to make the shop as authentic as possible.

The Blacksmith replica shop is open at the museum at 6455 Paige St. from 1-4 p.m. every third Sunday. Tours include a blacksmithing demonstration.