To tell you the truth, until about three years ago, I had no idea anvil shoots even existed. To me the thought of lighting two pounds of gunpowder under a 100 lb anvil screamed safety hazard. Especially when onlookers watched from the distance, trying to catch a glimpse of something different and new. Or maybe I should say something different and new to them. In actuality anvil shooting is as ancient as the cannon.
Some people say that anvil shooting originated during the time of American settlers.
Apparently the settlers who lived up in the mountains, away from any sign of civilization, would hear rumors of an oncoming Indian attack. The settlers would light some gunpowder under an anvil and try to scare the Indians away, by making them think that the loud bang from the anvil was a warning from the gods. Others say of anvil shooting that it originated during the Civil War, when the North would invade small Southern towns. They would destroy everything within the town that was of some use to the villagers and since blacksmiths were very vital to the towns, the Union soldiers would take the blacksmiths' anvils. They would then saw off the horns of the anvils, rendering them useless.