Mark Hemmer, Blacksmith and Farrier
5:40
Grades: 6 - 12
Video Description: Mark Hemmer is a blacksmith and farrier in Union, MO. Making his living shoeing horses and crafting tools, he fell into this line of work decades ago after wanting to learn the basics of how to shoe his own horse. Since then, he has worked on countless horses and created a workshop enviable by any craftsman. In addition to tending to his clients’ horses, he enjoys making tools in his shop. Watch him as he both hot shoes a horse and then creates an ornate hoof pick in his shop.
Type of Video: Profile*
Unique Video ID: Visual Arts-218**
Quick Ideas for Using the Video:
- Students can find other historical occupations that are still being utilized today and explore what it takes to learn that skill.
- Are there other animals that humans employ for work and leisure? Ask students to brainstorm that and perhaps focus on an animal to explore its historical relationship with humans.
- View the video as part of your study of life on the American frontier. The skill and importance of the blacksmith then operated in the same way Mr. Hemmer’s work does today.
*Profile videos use a first-person/first-hand approach to highlight interesting people doing interesting things in the area of study.
**The unique Video ID can be used to quickly locate a single video in the ET collection. This search function is designed to let teachers assign students to watch a specific video and have only that video appear as a search result. Just click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Then type in the Video ID as it appears above. Be sure to include the dash.
