History of G. Krug & Son, Inc.

"There is hardly a building in Baltimore that doesn't contain something we made, even if it is only a nail," boasts Theodore Krug, heir to the oldest continuously working iron shop in the country.  For more than 190 years artisans here have hammered out practical and ornamental ironwork that still graces local landmarks as Otterbein Methodist Church, the Basilica of the Assumption, Baltimore's Washington Monument, Zion Church, Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Baltimore Zoo. 

There are, of course, many reasons for the flourishing iron industry here in Baltimore. The major reason is the early iron enterprises in Maryland.  In a report on the manufacture of iron as addressed to the governor of Maryland in 1840, 1715 is given as the start of the epoch of furnaces in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.  The first furnaces in Maryland were Principio in Cecil County 1722, and Gwynn's Falls in Baltimore County in 1723.  There were many more to follow, and even though most of the furnaces were abandoned at the turn of the 19th century, this boom in iron working left behind not only well established companies in the manufacture of iron products, but a surplus of highly skilled labor.  Because most opportunity for hand-forged iron work is gone, G. Krug & Son represents a living link to a time and place where manufacture of iron products in the United States fundamentally began.

G. Krug & Son is one of the oldest companies in Baltimore, and the oldest ironworks factory in the country.  Our ironworks have been in operation without interruption, at the same location, since 1810.  At that time it was operated by Augustus Schwatka who was listed in the Baltimore Directory of 1810 as Schwatka, Augustus, blacksmith, corner of Saratoga St. and Short Alley.  The firm changed hands in 1830, when it was sold to Andrew Merker and renamed, Merker, A. Locksmith and Bell Hanger, Eutaw St. and Saratoga. Today, the professions of "bell hanger" combined with "locksmith" may sound strange, however, in the year 1831 it made sense as more and more churches were being built.

Gustav Krug came to Baltimore from Germany in 1848 and worked as a journeyman under Andrew Merker.  He quickly advanced to foreman, then partner of the company.  Upon the death of Andrew Merker in 1871, Gustav Krug became the sole proprietor, and "A. Merker & Krug" became "G. Krug & Son" in 1875.  In 1871, company records listed the most important jobs as work on, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Emanuel Church, the Otterbein Church and, on one of Baltimore's most famous landmarks at the time, "The Fountain Inn."  The bill for the Fountain Inn at the time was $524.00 for 262 feet of plain railing and $475.65 for 151 feet of fancy railing.  The Krugs' signature "Otterbein Style," has become synonymous with Baltimore history and can be seen on many buildings throughout the city.

Ever since the year 1871, and even before that, the Krug name stands for quality, craftsmanship, and honesty in dealing with its customers.  While the company keeps a steady flow of new work, it proudly restores the work which was once so skillfully made by our ancestors.  G. Krug & Son is one of the few companies left in Baltimore that can claim their ancestors helped in building Baltimore.  Today the company is run by 5th generation Krugs, Peter and Stephen, who operate the business with the same dedication to craftsmanship and customer satisfaction as their forefathers.  Today, Stephen's daughter Alexandra, and Peter's son David work in the company and are already skilled in their family's trade.