The son of Jonas and Johanna Anderson, Eric Folke Anderson was born on November 21, 1900 in the small farming village of Grasmark, Sweden. In Sweden, at the turn of the century, the carpenter’s skill was directly related to survival. Carpenters used a wide assortment of hand tools to build houses from trees cut from the local forests. Insulation from the cold was provided by six-inch-thick logs with moss in between. The logs were hewn and shaped with axes. The only mill lumber used was for siding. The son and grandson of carpenters, young Eric apprenticed himself to his farther, Jonas. Eric was a builder not only by tradition and training, but also by personal make-up. He was –all in large measure –forthright, honest, large and strong. This blacksmith shop with living quarters above was built by Eric F. Anderson as a teenage apprentice. He built it alone, to see if he could do it. It is constructed in the simple sturdy style of rural Sweden and still stands after almost 80 years.

This blacksmith shop with living quarters above was built by Eric F. Anderson as a teenage apprentice. He built it alone, to see if he could do it. It is constructed in the simple sturdy style of rural Sweden and still stands after almost 80 years.