Curious about the history of the Farr Garage at Centennial Village? It was originally a blacksmith shop!
In 1982, Centennial Village staff were able to construct the replica blacksmith shop through the great generosity of Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Farr. Its design and equipment were based on W.D.’s memories of the blacksmith shop that his grandfather, William H. Farr, established when he came to Greeley in 1877. William was a blacksmith by trade, and opened the Farr and Smith Blacksmith shop, a prominent business in early Greeley. He also homesteaded at the end of the Greeley-Loveland irrigation ditch and farmed over 160 acres.
Image taken in 2004 by museum volunteer photographer Don Wiegel with an image of the building prior to its move to Centennial Village.
W.D. Farr became involved as the director of several local irrigation ditch companies and served as an appointee to the US Water Pollution Control Advisory Board.
These days blacksmithing at Centennial Village is demonstrated near the center area of the museum, but you can still see a forge and a lot of well-worn tools in the Farr Garage. The plan is to restore the old gas pump and blacksmith area inside the garage. Moreover, the building will be used as a real-working shop where museum vehicles and machines can be fixed.
The Farr Blacksmith Shop, now called the Farr Garage, is a tribute to the generosity of the Farr family, and a reminder that the present builds on the hard work of the past.