Dist 4 C.R. Vining - Blacksmith Shop - Mass Ave. Interior Includes both early print and reprint of photo. From Duffy Images of America: "Another Arlington blacksmith poses at the anvil in his shop. Some smithies confined their expertise to horse-shoeing. Others worked as carriage builders, or as in this shop, as bicycle reparimen." Info from Richard Duffy: I've always wondered myself. Vining was the name used on the back of the image, and in the mid-90s it was in an exhibit whe had at the Smith Museum. I could never get a fix on his location, and wondered if the Mr. Vining in question was an employee of another blacksmith whose under whose business name we could identify a location. If not that, then quite possibly someone who was not enumerated in a census or who came and went from town (I've had my share go from town feet first, which then requires getting into deed searches --a dead-end if they rented premises -- death records, and such) between the census-takings. I've been on the lookout for the Vining name for a while, to no avail. For example, in the 1869 directory we have a Collins atat the corner of Grove and Mass. Ave. (then Main St.), then we have a Richardson and a Yuill at Wm. Kimball's near Mass. Ave. and Medford Street. There is a nother exterior photo (I believe) of the shop where the name Vining appears. It's on a hill. Maybe there is a clue in there. Of note, we had blacksmiths in Arlington who worked elsewhere and vice-versa. But this fellow's shop looks like a good old horse-shoeing establishment, rather than specialized blacksmith work on bleachery equipment, ice-tool manufacturing, etc.
