Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Encyclopedia
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site is a National Historic Site
located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of Downtown Boston
in Saugus, Massachusetts
. It is the site of the first integrated ironworks
in North America
, 1646 – 1668. It includes the reconstructed blast furnace
, forge
, rolling mill, shear, slitter and a quarter-ton drop hammer.
The facility is powered by seven large waterwheels, some of which are rigged to work in tandem with huge wooden gears connecting them. It has a wharf to load the iron onto ocean-going vessels, as well as a large, restored 17th-century house.
Skilled metalurgists John Turner and John Vinton were brought in to manage the fineries. Unskilled laborers cut wood for making charcoal, and quarrying the bog ore and flux.
The site's enclave setting on the Saugus River
, featuring an open-air museum with working water wheel
s, evokes a unique experience for park visitors. These resources demonstrate 17th-century engineering and design methods, iron-making technology and operations, local and overseas trade, and life and work in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
.
The original manufacturing site served as a training ground for skilled iron workers for what would become America's iron and steel industry. Iron making provided the infrastructure for the rise of other colonial industries. Called, "the forerunner of America's industrial giants," the site served as a center for technology, innovation and invention. The site interprets early industrial manufacturing, with its enduring social, political and environmental ramifications.
Between 2005 and 2008 the historic site underwent significant renovations. The 1917 museum building (a chicken coop, turned, blacksmith shop, turned museum) underwent major restoration work and new exhibits were installed during the winter of 2006-2007. Most areas reopened in fall 2007 or spring 2008, however the park is closed seasonally from November to March.
National Historical Park
National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...
located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of Downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
. It is the site of the first integrated ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, 1646 – 1668. It includes the reconstructed blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
, forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
, rolling mill, shear, slitter and a quarter-ton drop hammer.
The facility is powered by seven large waterwheels, some of which are rigged to work in tandem with huge wooden gears connecting them. It has a wharf to load the iron onto ocean-going vessels, as well as a large, restored 17th-century house.
Overview
With the archaeological site of the 17th-century iron-making plant, the museum collection, the 17th-century Iron Works House, and the reconstructed iron works complex, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site illustrates the critical role of iron making to 17th-century settlement and its legacy in shaping the early history of the nation. Sixteen years after the Puritans settled Boston, they built this impressive, large manufacturing complex. At the time there were only a dozen such high-tech plants in all of Europe.Skilled metalurgists John Turner and John Vinton were brought in to manage the fineries. Unskilled laborers cut wood for making charcoal, and quarrying the bog ore and flux.
The site's enclave setting on the Saugus River
Saugus River
The Saugus River is a river in Massachusetts.The river is long, drains a watershed of approximately , and passes through Wakefield, Lynnfield, Saugus, and Lynn as it meanders east and south from its source in Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield to its mouth at Boston Broad Sound...
, featuring an open-air museum with working water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
s, evokes a unique experience for park visitors. These resources demonstrate 17th-century engineering and design methods, iron-making technology and operations, local and overseas trade, and life and work in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
.
The original manufacturing site served as a training ground for skilled iron workers for what would become America's iron and steel industry. Iron making provided the infrastructure for the rise of other colonial industries. Called, "the forerunner of America's industrial giants," the site served as a center for technology, innovation and invention. The site interprets early industrial manufacturing, with its enduring social, political and environmental ramifications.
Site reconstruction and restoration
The blast furnace, forge, rolling and slitting mill, warehouse, and dock area are all reconstructed on original sites and are based upon extensive archaeological excavations done between 1948 and 1953 by Roland W. Robbins. Hundreds of court records, inventories, and accounts of the original iron works were also consulted to produce a full-size (albeit, conjectural) model of the seventeenth century iron works. The "Iron Works House" is a timber framed, 1680s mansion house, still standing on its original location. It was constructed about a decade after the iron works ceased production.Between 2005 and 2008 the historic site underwent significant renovations. The 1917 museum building (a chicken coop, turned, blacksmith shop, turned museum) underwent major restoration work and new exhibits were installed during the winter of 2006-2007. Most areas reopened in fall 2007 or spring 2008, however the park is closed seasonally from November to March.