The blacksmith shop was built by Perley Monroe in about 1900. Records show that the blacksmith shop building was constructed in 1906 and that Perley worked there. Before the blacksmith shop was built, the building on this site was identified as the Livery Stable that eventually burned down prior to 1900.

It is the representative of the many blacksmith shops in Coloma during and after the gold rush period. An essential member of the community, the blacksmith repaired and manufactured almost everything made of melt, including small hardware, wagons, and tools for both miners and framers.

A blacksmith works with iron while it is hot and malleable. In his prime, the blacksmith was master of all things mechanic, and was called on to make and repair the tools used to produce food, the equipment for mining, and the saws and axes for cutting and milling lumber. He designed and made the melt hardware that held buildings together.

All blacksmiths who work at Marshall Gold Discovery SHP are volunteers and no one gets paid or sells anything in the shop. The budget for funding the coal and steel comes from the sales of the handmade blacksmith items, which can be purchase in the Gold Rush Mercantile gift shop located next to the Gold Discovery Museum.