Mast Hoop Shop

This is the George Washington Smith Mast Hoop Shop.

The equipment in this building was used by the Smith family in Canterbury, Conn., until well into the 1930s. Hoops were only one of the many products that came from their woodworking shop: the Smiths also produced wagons, wheels, clothespins, washboards, stable forks and belaying pins. During the growing season, this work was generally put aside in order to devote time to their orchard.

Hoop making reached its peak as the fore-and-aft sailing rig proliferated in the mid-nineteenth century, and flourished until World War II. Relatively few men practiced this craft even then, and consequently exhibits such as this are rare.


I took three separate exposures (-2, 0, 2), handheld and then merged them together with Photoshop HDR Pro. This is my first time doing this, and although far from perfect, I did like the richness and tones it created. The room was dark with so much detail in all of the wood, that I thought this would be a good time to try it. The building was very old, so it was hard to make this photo seem straight.