Speedwell Ironworks
Encyclopedia
Speedwell Ironworks was an ironworks
in Speedwell, New Jersey
, USA, just north of Morristown, New Jersey
. It is on Speedwell Avenue, part of U.S. Route 202
. The site is where Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse
first demonstrated the electric telegraph, and the site provided most of the machinery for the SS Savannah
, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean
.
, there is evidence of several hydraulic powered forges predating the establishment of ironworks by Stephen Vail
and two business partners. Vail became sole owner of the works in 1815 and expanded it, producing a variety of agricultural and industrial machinery. The ironworks innovated the first durable iron tire for railroad locomotives in January 1836. With changing industrial trends and a decline in the flow of the Whippany River, the ironworks effectively shut down in 1873, selling its equipment to ironworks in Brooklyn
, Coatbridge
, Scotland
. In 1908 what remained of the factory buildings burned.
Stephen Vail also bought an adjacent 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) lot to which he eventually retired in 1844, though it was an active retirement. The Vail Homestead or Speedwell Village, as it is now known, is the site of Historic Speedwell, a National Historic Landmark
, part of the Morris county
Park Commission. The site is set up as an open air 19th century farm, complete with residential buildings, a granary
and carriage house.
The museum includes nine buildings furnished to depict life at Speedwell during the early 19th century. The Vail House, a historic house museum restored to 1840s period style, possesses some original family furniture and Vail memorabilia. The Wheel House houses an operational 24 feet (7.3 m) overshot waterwheel. The Granary displays hand-crafted wooden farm tools and ice-harvesting equipment. The Homestead Carriage House houses an exhibit on the SS Savannah
, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which was built at the Speedwell Ironworks, and an exhibit about the history of the ironworks. The Ford Cottage is a 19th century saltbox
cottage, the Moses Estey House is an 18th century Georgian mansion, and the early 19th century L'Hommedieu-Gwinnup House houses changing exhibits and education space.
, the range of the telegraph was limited to two miles (3 km), and the inventors had pulled two miles (3 km) of wires inside the factory house through an elaborate scheme. The first public transmission was witnessed by a mostly local crowd.
The Speedwell Village was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1974, preserving seven buildings.
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 Speedwell, New Jersey
Speedwell, New Jersey
-History:Alfred Vail of Speedwell received a one half share of the telegraph patents held by Samuel F. B. Morse on September 23, 1837 in exchange for Vail providing a working model from his Speedwell Ironworks. -References:...
, USA, just north of Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. It is on Speedwell Avenue, part of U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202 is a highway stretching from Delaware to Maine, also passing through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire....
. The site is where Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...
first demonstrated the electric telegraph, and the site provided most of the machinery for the SS Savannah
SS Savannah
SS Savannah was an American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818. She is notable for being the first steamship in the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that was accomplished from May to June 1819, although only a fraction of the distance was covered with the ship under steam...
, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
History
Situated at a natural gorge of the Whippany RiverWhippany River
The Whippany River is a tributary of the Rockaway River, approximately 20 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States....
, there is evidence of several hydraulic powered forges predating the establishment of ironworks by Stephen Vail
Stephen Vail
Stephen Vail was a founding partner of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia and the creator of the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey.-Biography:...
and two business partners. Vail became sole owner of the works in 1815 and expanded it, producing a variety of agricultural and industrial machinery. The ironworks innovated the first durable iron tire for railroad locomotives in January 1836. With changing industrial trends and a decline in the flow of the Whippany River, the ironworks effectively shut down in 1873, selling its equipment to ironworks in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1908 what remained of the factory buildings burned.
Stephen Vail also bought an adjacent 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) lot to which he eventually retired in 1844, though it was an active retirement. The Vail Homestead or Speedwell Village, as it is now known, is the site of Historic Speedwell, a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, part of the Morris county
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
Park Commission. The site is set up as an open air 19th century farm, complete with residential buildings, a granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
and carriage house.
The museum includes nine buildings furnished to depict life at Speedwell during the early 19th century. The Vail House, a historic house museum restored to 1840s period style, possesses some original family furniture and Vail memorabilia. The Wheel House houses an operational 24 feet (7.3 m) overshot waterwheel. The Granary displays hand-crafted wooden farm tools and ice-harvesting equipment. The Homestead Carriage House houses an exhibit on the SS Savannah
SS Savannah
SS Savannah was an American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818. She is notable for being the first steamship in the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that was accomplished from May to June 1819, although only a fraction of the distance was covered with the ship under steam...
, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which was built at the Speedwell Ironworks, and an exhibit about the history of the ironworks. The Ford Cottage is a 19th century saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
cottage, the Moses Estey House is an 18th century Georgian mansion, and the early 19th century L'Hommedieu-Gwinnup House houses changing exhibits and education space.
Telegraph
Of particular interest is the old Factory Building, a National Historic Landmark, which Stephen Vail had constructed for hobby purposes upon his retirement. It is the site of the first public demonstration of the electric telegraph on January 11, 1838. Although Morse and Alfred Vail had done most of the research and development in the ironworks facilities, they chose the factory house as the demonstration site. Without the repeaterRepeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
, the range of the telegraph was limited to two miles (3 km), and the inventors had pulled two miles (3 km) of wires inside the factory house through an elaborate scheme. The first public transmission was witnessed by a mostly local crowd.
The Speedwell Village was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1974, preserving seven buildings.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, New Jersey
- List of museums in New Jersey
External links
- Morris County Park Commission site for Historic Speedwell
- American Memory by the Library of Congress
- Traveler's photos of Historic Speedwell
- Some historic photos of the Speedwell Factories and Speedwell Village from The North Jersey History and Genealogy Center/Morristown & Morris Township Public Library