The carpenter Barbeau was a craftsman--someone who creates useful things or things of beauty. Other craftsmen would have been the baker, who baked bread for the community; the locksmith, who made locks and bolts; and the forger, who made things like horseshoes or door hinges out of metal. Craftsmen were of great importance to the frontier community. They used their skills to provide their neighbors with tools, household objects, and food, like baked bread.

© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96