I absolutely love this mantel and fireplace. The jagged stonework with great character sets the foundation.

The mantel itself is pair of 6in x 8in x 92in hand hewn timbers that came from a granary near Glencoe, Minnesota. These timbers we very unusual in that they were hewn into rectangular, rather than square shapes. They are white oak, so that developed this wonderful medium-dark color over time. The ax marks are all original and someone worked up quite a sweat back in the 1800s to make these.

The ironwork was completed by Wyatt Bienfang of WLB Blacksmith Shop near LeSeuer, Minnesota. He hand hammered and fit every piece into place. The big nails / rivets are all hand hammered too.

This mantel has a removable rod that can be used to hang Christmas stockings or a variety of other decorations. Wyatt has a rod on his fireplace on which he hangs original slay bells tuned to different pitches.

Finally, the customer decorated the mantel and fireplace wonderfully for the holiday season. Beautiful. Simply Beautiful.