Chase Saxton, 24, of Scottsville is working toward a self-sufficient life. Saxton began building his current home in 2013. "Why I decided to do it," Saxton thought aloud, "honestly, I have no idea. And that's not a joke!" Saxon said that the reason behind his home more than likely stemmed from his interest in colonial life and history. Saxton was raised in untraditional style homes, whether it be how they were built or how they lived. At one of their previous homes in Meade County, Ky., his family lived in a similar way to how he is living now but with more work. "I would wake up at four in the morning and milk cows, and then I would go out and do others things, but I would have to come back and milk the cows again," Saxton said. Saxton said that living that way was not what he wanted now. "When you live that way, when you try to be completely self-sufficient, you become a slave to the land in a way," Saxton said, "you're tied down."
Chase Saxton, 24, of Scottsville, Ky., is a man that pours his heart into his work and every other aspect of his life. Saxton has a passion for blacksmithing and currently runs his own shop, Homesteaders Outpost, where he welds and creates blacksmithing equipment.
His passion for the craft started after his family moved to a farm in Meade County, Ky., when he was young. The farm had its own smithing forge, and Saxton created his own tools and other necessities for around the farm.
Blacksmithing wasn’t the only passion that began to burn within Saxton after living on the farm. Living a life that was off the grid was something that Saxton dreamt about from a young age after living close to a family that pursued that lifestyle. Moving to the farm with his family only strengthened that desire.
Now, Saxton is building a “homestead” in an attempt to get back to that off the grid life. With no electricity, no running water, and heat that comes from a wood burning stove, Saxton is living the life that he has loved since childhood. “Homesteading is abut being free to live,” Saxton said, “It’s living off the land, being closer to the land, but now being controlled by the land. I’ve been there and lived that kind of life, and I don’t want it.”
Saxton clears brush and scrap metal from building his home out of his backyard. "It can get a little nerve wracking working out here," Saxton jokes, "if you see me jump, its because I see a snake. And I hate snakes."
In the future, Saxton hopes to collect rainwater to use as the water for his home. Currently, Saxton has no running water. He uses two different containers for drinking and for washing dishes. "It really sucks when you're in the middle of washing dishes and you run out, then you have to try and find more," Saxton said.
Saxton leans in the window to use his phone. Because of how his home is built, this is the only place that he receives cellphone service. Because he lives without electricity, Saxton has to charge his phone and laptop in his shop which has electricity and wifi, or in his truck. "A lot of people think I'm anti-technology, and I'm not," Saxton said, "I love technology. What I don't like is being reliant on it. So i'm not anti-technology, I'm anti-reliance."
Saxton welds a piece onto a power hammer that he is working on for a client. In his shop, Saxton engineers and fabricates blacksmith equipment, mostly for power hammers. Saxton found a love for blacksmithing on his family's farm, which had its own smithing forge.
Saxton visits Gustav Penner, 26, of Scottsville to pay for and pick up part for his work. Penner is a master machinist, he runs high precision machines to make high precision parts for other machinery. Saxton frequently purchases material from Penner. "It's really incredible what he does," Saxton said, "and he only has a sixth grade education if I'm correct.
Saxton said there is nothing like the blacksmithing community, which he is very active in. "It's so tight knit," Saxton said, "With other professions, like carpentry, you see someone new getting into the craft and you only see competition. With blacksmithing, it's totally different. It's welcoming. You ask what you can do for that other person, you share tools, you help each other out. Where else are you going to be treated that way?"
Saxton, having been married previously, now lives alone with his small kitten who he has yet to name. Saxton wanted the house to be built differently, but his ex-wife was unhappy with his ideas and wanted things to be built differently.
Saxton unloads his truck after leaving his shop, Homesteaders Outpost. The drive from his shop to his home is less than a minute long and is through a short patch of land tat leads directly to his front yard. Before his home was built Saxton was using his shop as an apartment.
Saxton lights one of many kerosene lamps for light in his home as the sun sets.