Tennessee Craftsman Keeps Medieval Farming Tool Alive

A small workshop in Tracy City, Tennessee is keeping a centuries-old farming tool alive.

At the historic Marugg building, owner Nate Wilson crafts traditional scythes, a curved blade tool that dates back to the Middle Ages. The business originally started in 1873 and is now one of only two scythe makers left in the United States.

Wilson handcrafts the wooden handles, known as snaths, from Tennessee hickory. Each one is custom-built using measurements like a customer’s height and arm length so the tool fits comfortably.

The blades themselves come from a centuries-old factory in Austria, where artisans train for years to learn the craft.

While scythes were once used to harvest grain, many people today use them to cut grass or maintain land without the noise of modern machines.

Wilson says the tool’s history, and the peaceful experience of using it, is what keeps people interested hundreds of years later.