Hogan Blacksmith Shop

The Hogan story left Dublin early. According to the Ben Hogan Museum, Ben was born in 1912, spent his childhood in Dublin and was nine when the family moved to Fort Worth. He walked seven miles to caddie at Glen Garden. The museum says it took ten years, and two bankruptcies trying to turn pro, before he became an outstanding ball striker. In 1949 a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus left him badly injured. He learned to walk again and won the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion, then took the Triple Crown in 1953.

What the plaque says

Hogan Blacksmith Shop William Alexander Hogan, a former C.S.A. Cavalry Blacksmith, brought his family from Mississippi to Dublin after 1870. With railroads drawing cattle ranchers and cotton farmers in growing numbers, William opened a blacksmith shop on Elm Street. His son, Chester, continued the family business. Chester's son, Ben, frequented the shop but was destined for another path. He caddied at age 11 and developed into a world champion golfer. Ben used blacksmithing skills to modify his golf clubs, and in 1953 opened his own club manufacturing plant, using what he learned about the science and art of metal from his grandfather and father in the Hogan Blacksmith Shop. The Hogan family held the land until 1997, when they donated it to the city of Dublin. (2013)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Dublin Bottling Works — steps away
  The Erath County plant that bottled Dr Pepper with cane sugar from 1891 until a 2012 settlement ended its Dr Pepper license, and that still makes its own sodas the same way.

More markers nearby

• Early Commercial Building — steps away
• Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company — steps away
• Dublin Rodeo — steps away
• Dublin National Bank — steps away