Goose Wing Hewing Axe, c. 1860 made by the Bradley Axe Co., Weston CT, gift of Walter R.T. Smith
“Tools of the Trades” is a permanent exhibition of more than 600 tools used by the trades common to New England. Presented in the 19th-century Abbott barn, this monumental collection features tools for house-building and woodworking, broom-, shoe,- hat- and basket-making, coopering, fishing and oystering, hay-, grain- and ice-harvesting tools, all drawn from the 4000 item trove of tool collector extraordinaire, Walter R. T. Smith (1922 – 2015; Two-term President, Emeritus Trustee, master builder, building historian and preservationist). Many of the tools were made in or around Wilton, Connecticut.
View a video of Walter T. R. Smith describing the tool collection.
“Tools of the Trades” by Walter R. T. Smith, August 2012 from The Wilton Historical Society on Vimeo.