Connecticut Blast Furnace Tour

Jay GuarneriDec 14, 2010

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The Iron Industry in Connecticut

Iron ores were first discovered in northwestern Connecticut in 1728, when a surveyors came

from Hartford to establish township boundaries and prepare the way for settlement. By 1735, there was

a bloomery forge, where iron ore was heated indirectly to separate the metal from the slag, operating on

the Salmon Kill in Lime Rock, followed by several other forges. The potential for iron production

combined with increased demand for iron in England and the Colonies attracted many people to the

area hoping to make their fortunes mining or smelting iron, or to take advantage of other economic

oppurtunities. However, production of iron from these forges was not high enough to keep up with

demand. In 1726 Ethan Allen, Samuel Forbes

and several other investors built the first blast

furnace in Connecticut. They recouped their

investments and a good profit in the first year of

operation, and blast furnaces began to appear in

every town in the region.

A blast furnace required iron ore for

smelting, charcoal to fuel the fire, lime to act as

flux, and running water to power the bellows that

blew air into the furnace and increased the

burning temperature. The northwest corner of

Connecticut had all of these resources in easy to

harvest forms. This allowed the iron industry to

flourish in the area. The blast furnaces employed

many workers directly, as well as providing work in support industries such as the production of

charcoal and lime, and attracted other businesses to the area as well.

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Figure 1: Cross-section of a blast furnace with details of the smelting process. From Bell and Meyerfield, 1982.

The Connecticut Charcoal Iron Furnace Tour

In the 1930s, Charles Rufus Harte, a historian investigating the history of the iron industry in

northwestern Connecticut and the adjacent portions of New York and Massachusetts, put together a

driving tour that explored the remaining charcoal-fired blast furnaces in Connecticut. The tour, which

starts and ends at the Curtis House Inn in Woodbury, CT, is a little more than 150 miles long if you

follow the optional route that goes through Kent. Harte provides driving directions, which include

route numbers and road names, distances, and landmarks, and provides some brief historical or

architectural notes for each of the furnaces visited. Also, he makes note of the locations of some

furnaces which are no longer there, as well as pointing out the remains of some old iron mines. The

tour provides a glimpse into the interesting chapter of Connecticut history when iron was King.

Updating the Tour

Given the historical value of this tour that directs drivers to the sites of these centerpieces of the

region's former iron industry, I decided to follow Harte's directions, see how many of the furnaces I

could find, and update and correct the directions where necessary. There were many challenges to this

task, the one with the most impact being the passage of about 80 years. During that time state and

federal highways have been re-routed or renamed; roads have been improved, changed, renamed,

added, or removed; buildings, fences, and furnaces have come down while new developments have

sprung up; trees have grown up; and dams have been removed. Reading Harte's directions, it is

apparent that he wrote them from memory, so this added additional discrepancies between what was

written and what I encountered. Lastly, many of the furnaces are on private property, and it was often

unclear whether I was trespassing.

To overcome these issues, I had to interpret the original directions carefully in the context of the

intervening years and the guesses of someone trying to remember mileages after the fact. I tried to

focus on landmarks that were more likely to have stood the test of time, such as rises, stream valleys,

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bends in the road, bridges, and monuments. I also did not expect to find many of the houses and barns

that Harte used as landmarks, and indeed I did not. Fortunately, Harte's mileages were quite accurate,

for the most part, and by combining these with the turning directions, the more reliable landmarks, and

beginning to check earlier than the stated mileage, I was able to find most of the furnaces listed.

Occasionally, there would be a directional discrepancy, such as when Harte directs the traveler to turn

left and head upstream (which are in opposite directions), and I had to explore both options or use my

best judgement.

What to Know Before You Go

While my updated version of the tour is about 50

miles shorter than Harte's original, it is still a long drive.

Between driving and getting out to look at the furnaces,

you should allow at least three and a half hours for the

trip (four would be better) in addition to how long it will

take you to get to the beginning and home again from the

end. Because of the length of this trip, be sure to bring

plenty of water with you and have a plan for a meal. As mentioned earlier, many of these sites are on

private property, so be prepared to ask for access permission, or be content with viewing the furnaces

from the road where possible. Also, many of these furnaces

are partially collapsed or otherwise structurally deficient, so

do not climb in or on any of them.

The Updated Connecticut Charcoal Iron Furnace Tour

The updated tour begins at a small picnic area just

east of the town of Cornwall Bridge. From the center of

town, head east on route 4, and pull over into the picnic area

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Figure 3: Old foundation on Furnace Brook.

Figure 2: Slag on the banks of Furnace Brook.

just outside of the central area. Walking over to the nearby stream, Furnace Brook, you can see a

foundation on the other side. This may have been associated with the Cornwall Bridge Iron Company,

which had its dam, mill, furnace, and various other buildings associated with its iron manufacture sited

along this brook. Look for pieces of slag on the stream bank.

Continue on route 4 for about 3.5

miles, where you will reach an intersection

with routes 43 and 128 and route 4 turns right.

Continue straight on route 43 for 4.9 miles,

where it ends at route 63. Turn left onto 63,

and a little less than ½ mile further you will

see what is left of an old farm road on the left,

a small track through the woods. Park at the

end of this farm road and walk follow it until

you see a small pond held in with a dam.

Downstream from the dam on the near side of

the pond is the Buena Vista furnace. This

furnace was put into blast in 1847 by Hunt,

Lyman, & Co. As you can see in the pictures,

the front of the furnace has collapsed.

However, you can still see the tuyere arch,

where air was pumped into the furnace to

keep the charcoal fire burning.

Back on 63, continue for another 2 miles, where you will come to a small rise and there will be

a road crossing a bridge to your right. This is the second road on the right after leaving the last furnace.

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Figure 4: Corner (top) and front (bottom) views of the Buena Vista furnace.

Go across the bridge and park on the side of the road. Harte's directions at this point were conflicting,

as he says to turn left and walk upstream for about 500 feet, the problem being that upstream is to the

right. Downstream did not look very accessible, so I decided to try upstream.

About 500 feet upstream, which is the approximate distance given by Harte, I found what

appeared to be the remains of a foundation and a

millrace. This is my best guess as to the location of

the Scoville furnace, but I cannot confirm this.

Harte states that the front had been torn down when

he was there, so it is possible that the remainder of

the furnace has been demolished since then.

However, it would be good to go back and get

landowner permission to explore downstream.

Continue traveling on route 63 until you reach the

intersection with route 7 and continue straight on 7.

After about 4 miles, you will reach a wide curve to the

right in the road. Immediately after this, and just before

you cross a bridge, turn right onto Lower Road. Follow

this road past a large marble quarry, and after about 1.8

miles, you will see the restored and preserved Beckley

furnace on the right.

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Figure 5: Possible remains of the Scoville furnace.

Figure 6: Front view of the restored Beckley furnace, showing the charging wall , casting arch, and interpretive signs.

This furnace was put into blast in 1847 and

was in operation until 1919, when demand for iron

dropped following the end of World War I. The stack

was built from locally quarried marble, and at a

height of forty feet was one of the largest in the

Salisbury district. After it went out of blast in 1919, it

slowly deteriorated and was scavenged for metal and

bricks during World War II. Later, the State of

Connecticut purchased the site and designated it a state industrial monument. The stack was eventually

restored and interpretive signs were placed at the site. The furnace now has a cutaway hearth inside the

casting furnace so that visitors can see and understand the internal structure of the furnace.

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Figure 7: Looking up inside the Beckley stack.

Figure 8: View inside the restored casting arch, showing the cut-away hearth and crucible.

Back on the road, take the next left

onto Furnace Hill Rd, and then turn left onto

route 44. Continue traveling on 44 for about

7 miles into downtown Salisbury. In town,

make a sharp right onto route 41, Under

Mountain Rd. After 4.5 miles, route 41

crosses a bridge over a stream just before

crossing the border into Sheffield,

Massachusetts. Park just before the bridge

and walk down along the stream. You will

see in front of you the Chapinville furnace. It is mostly

collapsed, and there are trees growing up on and around

the stack. This furnace was put into blast in 1826.

Next, head back to Salisbury and turn right onto

route 44. Go past the town hall on your right and take the

first right immediately after it, Factory St. After about 2/3

of a mile, you will come to a fork in the road. Turn right

at this fork, which will be Mt. Riga Rd. Travel 2.2 miles

up this road (be careful, as there is a surprising amount of

traffic on the road) until you come to the end of it, and

turn left and find a place to park. On your left you will

see the Mt. Riga furnace, the only standing cold blast

furnace and the only furnace in the Salisbury district to be

built in the mountains. It would seem an unlikely place

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Figure 9: Collapsed remains of the Chapinvillle furnace.

Figure 10: Mt. Riga blast furnace. Photo from http://www.nynjctbotany.org.

to put a furnace, as both ore and lime had to be carted several miles uphill, but there was an abundant

flow of water to power the bellows and plenty of hardwood forest to supply charcoal. This furnace was

put into blast in 1810 and shut down in 1856. Some preservation work was done in the 1930s and

1960s to restore the appearance of the furnace. On your way here, you will also see the remains of a

large dam and a foundation in the woods, both off to the left. The foundation is the remains of a finery

forge where the pig iron from the furnace was converted into bar iron.

The next stop on the original tour is the Maltby furnace just over the border in Millerton, NY.

However, I was unable to find this furnace based on Harte's directions. Looking at the area in Google

Earth, it looks as if the roads may have changed since then, and my preliminary research suggests that

the stack may no longer be standing. So, I have omitted this furnace from the revised tour. Instead, you

will head straight to the Lime Rock

furnace. Go back down Mt. Riga

Rd to the center of town, and turn

right onto 44. If you like, you can

continue on 44 for 3 miles to see the

site of the Ore Hill mine, which is

now a pond on the right. To get to

Lime Rock, however, take the first

left on 44 after leaving downtown

Salisbury, Salmon Kill Rd. Travel

3.1 miles, until just before the end

of the road, and turn left onto Furnace Rd. When Furnace Rd. turns right, you will see a private road on

the left. Go down this private road and on the left you will see the Lime Rock furnace next to a house.

This furnace was put into blast in 1865 by the the Lime Rock Iron Company, and was later purchased

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Figure 11: Lime rock furnace.

by the Barnum and Richardson Company. It seems to be in very good repair, but I was unable to

inspect it too closely as it was very clearly on private property.

Continue on route 112 until it meets route

7 and turn right on route 7 to head south. Follow

route 7 until it joins route 4 and crosses the

Housatonic River to Cornwall Bridge. If you like,

you can end your tour here, as it is less than ¼

mile from the beginning. Alternatively, you can

continue south on route 7 to Kent to see two

more furnaces. After crossing the bridge, turn

right to follow 7 south. After 7.5 miles, you will

see an old steam engine and rail

road track on your right. This is

the entrance to the Sloane-

Stanley Museum and the

Connecticut Antique Machinery

Association. Park in the lot, and

walk down the hill where you

will see the Kent furnace. This

was put into blast in 1826.

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Figure 12: Old steam engine at the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association.

Figure 13: The Kent furnace.

Continue down on route 7 into downtown

Kent, and turn right at the obelisk in town to cross

the Housatonic on route 341/Macedonia Rd. Reset

your odometer here. Follow the signs for

Macedonia Brook State Reservation, turning right

onto Macedonia Brook Rd. Continue on this road,

and after you have traveled 2 miles from the obelisk,

just inside the park boundary, you will see a small

pull off on the right. Park here, and if you look

down at the stream, you will see that all that remains

are some foundations. Also look for pieces of slag

on the ground. This furnace was put into blast in

1826 and was once part of a thriving industrial

community along the brook.

This brings you to the end of Harte's original

tour. However, in subsequent research I discovered one more furnace site that merits inclusion. This is

the Roxbury furnace in the Mine Hill preserve in Roxbury. The site is well preserved and the history is

well documented. Here you can see the blast furnace, two roasting ovens used to cook excess sulfur

and carbon out of the ore before being added to the furnace, and the original mine shafts constructed to

extract the ores of iron and other metals. To get there from Kent, continue south on 7 until you reach

route 202. Turn left onto 202 and cross the bridge, then turn right on route 67. Follow 67 for 5.8 miles

and then turn left onto Mine Hill Rd. Take the second right onto quarry road and park at the end of the

road. The furnace is just ahead in the woods, and the roasting ovens are uphill above the charging wall.

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Figure 14: Foundations at Macedonia furnace site.

This furnace was put into blast in 1867,

although the plans were made much earlier. Lack

of capital and ownership disputes delayed the

development and opening of the furnace; poor

shipping access and technical difficulties further

hampered the operation. The Roxbury furnace

was unique because they intended to make steel at

the site, as the ores were similar to ores being

used in Europe to make high-quality steel. However, the steel-making techniques were out-of-date, and

larger coal-fired furnaces to the west were coming into operation, so the Roxbury furnace never fully

realized its commercial potential, and was shut down in 1871 after converting to a hot-blast system

caused the furnace to stop functioning properly.

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Figure 16: Roasting ovens at the Mine Hill Preserve. Photos from ctweekender.com.

Figure 15: Roxbury furnace and charging wall at the Mine HIll Preserve. From ctweekender.com.

Appendix 1: Original driving tour as written by Charles Rufus Harte. I have tried to preserve the original spelling, punctuation, and formatting, within reason.

CONNECTICUT CHARCOAL IRON FURNACE TOUR.Starting point, Curtis House, Woodbury, Connecticut.

Go north on 202 to North Woodbury, turn left on 47 and continue to 45, where 47 on the south side becomes 45 on the north side. Continue on 45 through Warren to 7, a little south of Cornwall Bridge and then on 7 north to Cornwall Bridge, keeping practically straight ahead on 4 to 43.- 7 turns left at bridge and crosses the Housatonic - . On 43 through Cornwall Hollow -where there is the Sedgewick monument in a little triangle-.

About 2 miles beyond the monument there is a brown house on the right side of the road, and about opposite a gate and a farm road leading to a pond and dam. Just north of the dam is what is left of the Buena Vista stack. The front has collapsed, exposing the upper part of the in-walls, while on the right side – as you face the stack – in the tuyere arch are the openings for the twin tuyeres, while the pipes for taking the to the oven, which was on top of the stack, and for bringing down the heated blast, are still in place. Note the big girders near the stack top.

Back on 43, about 2 miles further there are a couple of barns and a house at the top of a little rise, and a brick house on the right, across the valley of a brook, the Hollenbeck “River”, with a private way leading to the brick house. Park on 43, for there is no place to turn on the private road; walk down almost the the bridge over the brook, turn left on the low ground along the brook, and about 500 feet up-stream is the Scovil stack, one of the very few Connecticut stacks to have a semicircular fore-arch. The front has been torn down, giving an excellent opportunity to see a cross section of a primitive stack, although it was not so old, having been build in 1844. Note the tie-rods, and particularly the bid wedge on the right side near the top.

Back on 43 for about ½ mile to 7, and then north on 7 about 4 miles to a “Devil's Elbow”, first right and then left, with a bridge just beyond the latter, and a black road to the right just before reaching the bridge.

To reach Beckley turn right on the black road and about 2 miles further, on the right side of the road, is the stack, in fair condition – I hope, I hope. -

Go up the hill, swinging left, to Route 44, turn left, and follow 44 through Canaan – you could have returned over the black road to 7, and then right to 44, but other way is best – and so to Salisbury. At fork just south of the White Hart Inn turn sharp right on to 41, “Under-mountain Road”. About 4 miles beyond the fork 41 crosses Sage Ravine Brook; the old stack is on the right, on the near side of the brook. It is prettyy well shaken, but is particularly interesting for the stone lining at the top. It doubtless originally was stone lined throughout, but at a later date had the boshes lined with brick. It is of the vintage of 1830 or thereabouts.

Returning on 41 past the White Hart Inn – if you are thinking of getting lunch, the Inn is excellent but expensive; the Ragamount, which is a little south of the fork, is said to be excellent and reasonable – continue south to the Town Hall, on the right. Take dirt road on the right, and continuing up the hill for some three miles, in a clearing at the left is the Mt. Riga stack, built in 1808 originally, but of a very primitive character.

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Back to the Town Hall on 44 – which is also 41 for a short distance- to where 41 and 44 separate; the Ethan Allen furnace which was the second blast furnace in Connecticut and cast most of the American Revolutionary cannon was just beyond the fork, but today the only trace is a wood board marker. Keeping right on 44, about 2 miles from the junction the road skirts a pond on the rig, with a R.R fill across it; this is what is left of the famous Ore Hill Mine. On to the N.Y. State line, and on the right is the Maltby stack, across the fields. To reach it, take the first right beyond the State line, either the first or second right after that, - you can see the stack and can tell which road to take; frankly, I don't remember – and then another right brings you to the stack, an old timer, which, however, had its innards modernised somewhat. Just before reaching the stack there is a swale with a brook at the left, which goes to the old mine, now a pond.

Back to Ore Hill pond, 112 branches off to the right, and takes you inot Lime Rock. About 6 miles from Ore Hill there is a sharp right turn, and just before reaching it you will see a little left of straight ahead the later Lime Rock furnace, of cut stone. There was a much older stack up the valley of the brook, but it would require a guide to find all that remains.

Continuing on 112 through Lime Rock you meet 7, which takes you - having turned right on it from 112 – to Cornwall Bridge. You can then go back to Woodbury over 45, which turns left from 7 a little south of Cornwall Bridge and goes to 25, to change number but not direction across 25 becoming 47 which leads through to North Woodbury and 202.

Or you can keep on 7 from Cornwall Bridge about 8 miles to the Kent town dump on the right. The road down the north side of the dump leads to the Kent stack. You can drive down, but it is loose soil at the bottom. And turning is difficult; I think it better to park above and walk down; the stack is abut a short distance from the R R grade crossing. Watch out for trains when you cross.

Back to 7, you can turn right at the monument in Kent, cross the river, and visit Macedonia Park, with and old stack just inside the reservation, but I can't give you directions; it is about 2 miles from the monument.

One more on 7, continue to New Milford, turn left and cross river to 67, on east side of town, and then on 67 south east to Bridgewater, northeast to near Roxbury, southeast again to202, and north on 202 to the Curtis House.

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References

About Beckley Furnace. Friends of Beckley Furnace. Retrieved from http://www.beckleyfurnace.org/pages/about_beckley_furnace.htm on December 10, 2010.

Bell, M. and D. B. Meyerfield. 1982. Time and the Land: The story of Mine Hill. Yale School of Environmental Studies. New Haven.

Harte, C. F. Undated material, 1920-1949. Connecticut Charcoal Iron Furnace Tour. Frederick W. Chesson Connecticut Iron Industry Collection. University of Connecticut Libraries.

Kirby, Ed. 1998. Echoes of iron in Connecticut's northwest corner: With a field guide to the Iron Heritage trail. Sharon Historical Society. Sharon.

Mt. Riga Blast Furnace. NY-NJ- CT Botany Online. Retrieved from http://www.nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/mtrigablastfurnace.html on December 11, 2010.

The Eight Cornwalls. Cornwall Historical Society. Retrieved from http://www.cornwallhistoricalsociety.org/Cornwall_Bridge.htm on December 10, 2010.

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