Oak Hill man may be Fayette County’s last blacksmith

Oak Hill man may be Fayette County’s last blacksmith

Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – At 14 years old, Eugene Ratliff learned himself a trade that few people in southern West Virginia still practice. More than half a century later, he believes he may be the only working blacksmith left in Fayette County. Ratliff got his start by seeking out the older blacksmiths who were still around when he was a boy, including a man named Mr. Drake who lived on Woods Avenue in Oak Hill. “I told him who I was and what I wan…