The Waldie Blacksmith Shop was started by James Allfred Waldie Sr. He was born in Scotland in 1832. He came to Canada with his brother, Alexander, and moved to Acton, Ontario, around 1857. In the early 1860s, James and his family moved to Milton. In 1865, he opened a blacksmith shop. A blacksmith is someone who makes and repairs things out of metal, usually by heating and shaping the metal. Part of the original building was moved to its current location. James also added more space to the front and back of the building. The Waldie family ran the blacksmith shop for more than 100 years. Three generations of the family worked there: James Sr., his son James Jr., and his grandson Alfred. The front of the building was used for metalwork. The back was used for woodworking, where they made and repaired things like wagons and buggies. James Sr. was also famous for making a special type of farm tool called a cultivator-harrow. Farmers used this tool to help prepare and loosen the soil before planting crops. The building was made using large wooden beams and stone walls. It is special because very few old blacksmith shops are still standing in the same place where they originally operated. The building has been carefully repaired and preserved. Today, it is home to the Milton Historical Society, which helps protect and share Milton’s history. Visitors can learn about what life was like long ago, see old records and objects, and even take blacksmithing classes.