Jeff Dunkelberger

​My love of history began early and blossomed on the many trips my wife and I took to Colonial Williamsburg and then expanded in 2008 when I took my first blacksmithing class at the Historic Forge at Carroll County Farm Museum.  I later learned from many artists like Mark Aspery, Nol Putnam, Mike Tanner, Elmer Roush, Nicholas Kimball and Dale Morse.

Although I did not know it then, history was to become a large part of my blacksmithing journey which later took me to a position working part-time in the forge at Mount Vernon and to performing many (sometimes 18 weekends per year!) Colonial blacksmithing demonstrations where my family and I taught visitors about the special mysteries and beauty of the craft.  

Throughout this time, I discovered my love of teaching and was so very fortunate to be able to share these moments with my wife Caitlin Garvey and our two sons, Lucas and Liam.  We performed together at historical events across the Washington, DC area at historic venues like Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Historic Blenheim, Old Wye Church, Benjamin Banneker Museum, Prince William Forest Park, Saint Albans School, Liberia Plantation, Jefferson Patterson Park Museum and Stratford Hall. 

In 2022, my son Liam and I completed the 12-month blacksmithing certification program held at the Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing in Waynesboro.  This program was simultaneously a challenge and a joy and we both learned more than I imagined when we started.  For me, it was a great experience to go deeper into many of the basic skills I had used before but had never had time to practice much during my public events.  For both of us, it was a big accomplishment to complete all the project requirements and to graduate.  The program allowed me to add practical experiences to my understanding of the historical importance and impact of blacksmithing on our world.

Professionally, I am a Senior Account Executive, responsible for revenue-generation in several large US Government agencies, for Dynatrace which is an AI-based IT monitoring software solution.  Over the course of my career, I have held various positions at HP, Dell, SAS, Quantum and now Dynatrace.  I have worked in virus roles from Solution Architect, as a Certified Enterprise Architect and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, to Sales with a track record of over-performing against my annual objectives.  Academically, I have completed two Business-related Masters’ Degrees from Antioch University and Syracuse University.

My family and I live at our farm in Mount Jackson, VA, along with our family mascot cat Maggie, two other cats, 3 energetic Cairn Terriers, 20 or chickens and always a few horses. 

My 17-year old son Liam Garvey operates a firewood business called the Little Red Barn Firewood Company selling cords and bundles as fast as he can produce them.  He is also an Eagle Scout and is active in both the National Honor Society and Rotary Interact Club.  His older brother Lucas Garvey is a nationally-ranked Dressage rider competing at International events both in Virginia and Florida throughout the year, where he has qualified twice for the North American Youth Championships.  He is currently a Junior at Old Dominion University and has plans to attend vet school after he graduates.  Caitlin, an attorney, holds degrees in Journalism and English Literature, and works as an administrator for two Episcopal Churches.  Her passion however is evidenced clearly in her work as a professional photographer.  Her work can be seen at www.caitlingarvey.net.

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