Lawndale Forge, industrial blacksmiths and manufacturer of carbon and stainless shackles, was started at its present location in 1928 by Ralph Russell Sr., an immigrant from Gloucestershire, England whose family had been blacksmithing for many generations. Prior to Lawndale Forge there had been a blacksmith shop on this site since before the Chicago Fire. The grandsons and great grandsons of Ralph Russell Sr. are carrying on the old world craftsmanship that imparts optimum strength and grain flow to our forgings.