Gaby’s Blacksmith Shop

Gaby’s Blacksmith Shop

Blacksmith’s were in the area before the establishment of Frisco in 1902 one of which was A.J. Gunstream. Mr. Gunstream set up a shop at his farm in Erudia to serve his personal needs and those of the neighboring farmers. When Mr. Gunstream moved to Frisco, he eventually set up a blacksmith shop at the corner of Third and Main Streets. Mr. Gunstream retired in 1937 and J.T. Gaby, who had worked at the shop, bought the business, changed the name to Gaby’s Blacksmith Shop and operated it until his death in 1954. Two of Mr. Gaby’s sons, Harry and Mack, operated the shop until it closed in 1985 marking a 48 year history of Gaby’s. It was a corrugated metal structure with 3 doors, no windows and a dirt floor. Two bare light bulbs hung from the rafters and provided dim lighting. The shop had all the equipment necessary for the trade: forge, anvil, a trough of water, tongs, hammers, and a foot driven grindstone.