R. M. Grabowski

The Forge

(TO READ CHAPTER I, SEE BLOG)

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With the British primed to attack Washington in the final months of the War of 1812, Pennsylvania ironmaster John Old and his young slave, Peter, set out to find Old’s son, who’s been captured as a spy, hoping to bring him home, whether alive or dead.

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But when Old himself is captured at the Battle of Bladensburg, Peter is cast adrift in a perilous world of slave catchers, robbers and vacillating laws as Washington is put to the torch by the British. Should he run North, or stay and try to find Old's son, a near blood brother to him growing up?

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Meanwhile, the forge itself comes under attack. Something in the woods is killing livestock, and maybe some of the workers. Someone is sabotaging operations -- possibly a rebellious slave angry at the Pennsylvania law that makes any slave born before March 1, 1780 a slave for life. 

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The Story Behind the Story

It started when the author came across a manuscript document from 1792 detailing the terms of a loan from a wealthy Philadelphian named Edward Shippen made to "Iron Master" James Old of Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Forges such as Old's, as well as the area's farms, used slave labor, which explains how the nearby "Welsh Mountains," an island in the middle of what is now Amish country, became populated with mostly poor black folk during the 19th and 20th centuries.

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In 1780, Pennsylvania passed a law for the "gradual" abolition of slavery: If you were born on the last day of February of that year, or before, you would be a slave for life. If born the following day, March 1, or after, you would be freed on your 28th birthday. From this decree was born one of the characters, a rebellious slave named Jubal who isn't happy with such a law, to put it mildly. On the other hand, the protagonist of the story, sixteen-year-old Peter, eagerly anticipates his twenty-eighth birthday and freedom.

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Into this scenario comes the ironmaster, now John (not James) Old, who learns his son has been captured by the British as a spy near Washington, just as the British prepare to attack the city, where they will torch the Capitol, White House, and other federal buildings.

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Old leaves to find his son, if he can, taking Peter with him. The fictional events that follow are drawn against the actual circumstances of the British invasion and the debacle of Washington burning. Old is captured at the Battle of Bladensburg shouldering a musket, though he'd planned to negotiate with the British for his son's release, not to fight, while Peter is cast adrift in the dangerous, lawless city.

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REGARDING DIALOGUE

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There are few reliable sources providing samples of how black people spoke in the early 19th century. A strong effort was made to avoid using stereotypical "black dialect" found in certain 19th and 20th century books. The reality is that most of the black people of the time were uneducated and unread, unfortunately by design, so would not have had a wide English vocabulary. Undoubtedly, though, they had their own synthesized language, a mix of English, African and other sources, which evolved over time. The British and other white characters, based on period correspondence and other sources, likely spoke much as depicted.

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SETTING

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Historic Poole Forge, a partially restored iron forge in Narvon, Pennsylvania which operated from 1786 to 1859, provided some inspiration for the story. It was owned by "Welshman" James Old from 1775 to 1795. He sold it to his son, Davis Old, who ran it for several years before selling to his brother-in-law, Cyrus Jacobs, who owned it until his death in 1830.

    The ironmaster’s home is the main structure on the site, along with the paymaster’s house and a few workers’ cabins. Part of one of the trip hammers is on display as well.