Biltmore Insider Interview: Doc Cudd
Doc Cudd, Biltmore's resident blacksmith, has an interesting office: the smithy shop at River Bend Barn.
"There has been at least one or two blacksmiths in my family for the past 427 years," says Doc. "Even when I was a child, I always wanted to hammer on something." So it's no coincidence that he got his first anvil at age 9 and began apprenticing under his dad and great uncle at age 10. After progressing to journeyman, he passed an intense test—just one portion took 18 hours—and became a blacksmith in 1995.
Although Doc runs a successful iron works business at home, he decided to join Biltmore in 2004 because he loves being around people. "When people come see me at the barn, I always want them to feel like they're sitting on my front porch," he says. His rapport with guests is evident—he has a collection of 150 pictures that guests have sent him commemorating their River Bend Barn visit.
Did You Know?
The River Bend name existed before George Vanderbilt purchased land for Biltmore. Museum Services discovered that the geographical bend of the French Broad River below the Farmyard and Kitchen Garden was known as River Bend Peninsula, and a small, hand-sketched map of a previous owner's holdings bears the name River Bend Farm. In addition, an 1896 estate guide map labels the area as River Bend Peninsula, as well. While the name River Bend was not always used to describe the area during the Vanderbilt era (estate agricultural sections were known individually as the "Dairy," the "Poultry Farm," "Sheep Farm," "Pig Farm," "Truck Farm" or "Market Garden" and collectively as "Biltmore Farms"), River Bend is appropriate for and descriptive of the area.
His typical day is spent demonstrating blacksmithing techniques, answering guests' questions, and making the anvil "sing"—the unique sound you hear when the hammer strikes the anvil. When Doc plays the anvil, he is actually practicing an ancient hammer language. "It's a 50-part language that's tapped out on the anvil," he says. "It's the first thing an apprentice learns, because it's the language that the master uses to converse with the strikers."
The anvil makes a different sound depending upon where the hammer strikes. The apprentice knows where to hit the metal on the anvil based upon the "song" the master plays.
Sometimes Doc plays the anvil up to 20 times a day for guests. Depending on the tune, he could be demonstrating the technique for creating a plow, a wheel, or tool.
He crafts many items sold at the Mercantile including fire pokers, fire screens, and his famous leaf insignia key ring. But he also plays a key role in helping preserve the estate. "I've made mechanical parts to repair the barn's corn grinder," he says. "I've also replicated the house's window locks, repaired the original lock at the Lodge Gate, and repaired estate carriages and farm equipment."