The first anvil maker in the United States was the Eagle Anvil Works of Trenton, New Jersey. Founded in 1843 by its inventor Mark Fisher, Eagle made its anvils out of cast iron, which was topped by a thick layer of gun metal that was so hard, it was advertised as being impervious to hammer blows and guaranteed not to ring when struck. Like most 19th-century anvils, Eagle anvils featured a flat horizontal surface called the face, which was...Continue Reading