04/08/2026
As I dug through the sands of time, I uncovered a vein that spanned generations: a family enterprise spreading Irish, Bavarian, and Parisian metalworking techniques across the Americas.
Born in Connecticut in 1906, Kenneth Lynch began metalworking at 11 as a farrier’s assistant. His skills earned him training in Germany and France, where he mastered armor forging, fine metalcraft, and repoussé.
By the 1920s, his Manhattan workshop was bustling with commissions, including architectural ironwork. His fame grew when he restored the Statue of Liberty’s copper plates, applying the traditional methods he had learned abroad.
The company later moved to Long Island, where Kenneth ran The Guild School of Metalcraft alongside his production facility. His creations—stainless steel eagles for the Chrysler Building and the copper Pegasus at Reader’s Digest—soon adorned New York’s skyline. The 1939 World’s Fair further cemented the firm’s prestige.
After relocating to Wilton, Connecticut, the company expanded into ecclesiastical commissions, protective equipment, and architectural metalwork. Kenneth served as a major in bomb disposal during WWII, a role that profoundly affected him.
Post-war, the company grew further, producing trade catalogs, building a 30-ton collection of traditional hand tools, and displaying them in a museum of craft. His sons, Michael and Timothy, continued the legacy with major projects like the Rockefeller Gates and the Old North Church weather vane, while modernizing operations in Oxford.
Today, granddaughter Maria Lynch Dumoulin leads Kenneth Lynch & Sons, securing municipal contracts while preserving the company’s sculptural, statuary, and architectural work. In 2027, the enterprise will celebrate 100 years of family craftsmanship.
