Arnold M. Graton, Last of the True Yankee Craftsmen
May 18, 2008
He has spent over fifty years constructing and rehabilitating old bridges and vintage buildings. For over three decades, he worked with his father, Milton Graton, a gifted promoter and builder himself. Together they were responsible for the building of a dozen bridges and they restored more than 40. The Graton's used only traditional materials and techniques. Arnold is steeped in authenticity… in his methods, and in his character.
The Bagley Bridge, re-constructed by Graton and his team on site of The Bascom’s Center for the Visual Arts, is a tribute to his mastery. Every beam is fitted to perfection. Every part, minute to mighty, has a function. Graton sees to that.
There are no nails, screws or bolts holding this 50 ton bridge together, just New Hampshire Yankee ingenuity and 1,100 trunnels, long hand-turned pegs honed to a precision fit using Arnold’s impeccable calibrated eye and venerable, trusted tools.
Arnold is a living legend, when he speaks, it’s often spare… but it’s important… and people listen. It’s the details that make Arnold’s work art… a perfectly-sawn edge or carefully matched-grain contribute to Arnold’s unparalleled excellence.”
Graton’s philosophy honors a slower pace, where life is appreciated one turn of a crank or pull of a saw at the time, just as it was 200 years ago. Each accomplishment is cause for celebration and each mistake, though rare, an opportunity to do it all again. His work days are often 14 hours long and he has never had a bad day in his life. As long as he can enjoy the out-of-doors, breathe the air, work with wood, and preserve the past for the future, he is a happy man.