A Visit to Saugus Ironworks

[JHCC]

Finding myself in a business trip with a hotel in Saugus, Massachusetts and a couple of free hours, I went to visit the Saugus Ironworks, site of the first iron production facility (1646-1670) in what was to become the United States. The following photos show the reconstructed works, including the forge where blooms were forged into bars of wrought iron and the rolling and slitting mill where these bars were turned into plates and thin rod for nailmaking. I also took some photos in their museum, showing artifacts discovered during the archaeological excavations in the 1940. 

A bronze model of the site:

The blast furnace itself is under construction:

The forge has three hearths for heating the raw blooms being converted to finished wrought iron and for converting muck bar into merchant bar. All three have water-powered double bellows:

The other side of the forge in the previous photo, showing a bar positioned for heating, the large tongs for moving the bars, and the harpoon-like poker for stoking the fire. Note the hole in the back wall: this goes to the outside so the bars can extend through as they are lengthened.

Another hearth:

Stages in converting muck bar (back) into merchant bar (front). The large object in the right rear is a pivot for the triphammer.

Tong rack:

And a third:

The water-powered triphammer. The four-sided cam in the rear is turned by a shaft that comes directly off the main waterwheel: 

Another view of the triphammer and its cam, showing wear plates on the latter:

This is the other end of the camshaft projecting through the outside wall of the forge. The waterwheel has been removed for repairs, and it looks like they just cut the shaft off.

Each set of bellows is powered by its own waterwheel. The wheel for the first forge above is on the left; the one for the second is in the shade on the far right:

The machinery in the rolling and slitting mill. This small machine requires the most power of any operation at Saugus, so rather than running directly off the shaft of a waterwheel, there is a set of wooden gears between the mill and the largest waterwheel on site. It was partially disassembled, but you can see one of the gears on the right and another against the back wall:

This is waterwheel for the mill:

Back inside, here's the roller mechanism, with plate rollers on the right and slitting on the left:

Spare rollers:

One massive pair of shears:

 

This shows a flat bar partially cut into nail rod:

Artifacts recovered during the excavation. Note the decorative chiselwork on the hammerhead in the middle:

A replica of one of the anvils that would have been used onsite:

Remains of the original waterwheel (apologies for the rotated picture):

More artifacts:

The base of the original anvil stump and triphammer head:

Archaeologist's notes:

A description of the forging process:

Finally, the museum had a little video of the history of the site, showing the smelting and forging processes with substantially more realism than one usually sees in this kind of thing:

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/embed.htm?id=2C75BDBB-F14B-42CC-A747-18DF74CA55F0 

 

[Stash]

Good post, John - thanks. My daughter is in nearby Salem, so I've visited the site several times when she gets tired of us and chases us away. Last time was a year and change ago, with covid still breathing hot and heavy. It was midweek during the off season, and we literally had the place to ourselves. I wandered and rooted around all over the place till my wife threatened to drive off without me. It is one of the more laid- back sites of the NPS, and that is ok with me.

Steve

[Frosty]

Thanks John, good write up with pics and the video is as excellent as you say. Thoroughly enjoyable all round. Saugus Ironworks is  now on my bucket list.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Learned something new today. I had no idea iron was being made in the colonies in the 1600s. I always thought the iron was imported in from England up until the AWI.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

That’s pretty cool John! Thanks for sharing!

[George N. M.]

Very cool, John.  Now I've got another location to visit on my bucket list.

English investors in the 17th and 18th century invested in iron production in the colonies because of the abundant wood/charcoal available.  England had been largely deforested or charcoal had become too expensive.  Much of the pig iron was exported to England.  By 1750 England eliminated any tariffs on colonial iron but prohibited the production of iron plate or steel in the colonies (largely ignored).  By 1776 the colonies were producting about as much iron as England.  Ater independence the USA was the 3d largest producer of iron in the world after Russia and Sweden.

Short historical diversion.  Sometimes I can't help myself.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Frosty]

And a LOVELY diversion it was! Thank you George.

I'm up for a longer version if you feel the urge to expand.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Scott NC]

  I have to add my thanks for documenting and posting this.  These are things I would never know existed or have the chance to see in person, probably.  Facinating.  I enjoyed the video too.

[ArmySoldier72]

JHCC, thank you so much for these pictures and video.

 

As I am a fledgling to this community, hobby, skillset, etc....

This was absolutely fascinating. 

Since my early twenties I have enjoyed historic endeavors.  Be it a castle, a battle site, anything of historic relevance or something new I learn about and then find something to help put in perspective.  For example I LOVE the show Gold Rush and not for the drama but for the skillset these folks are putting forth and how they overcome challenges in an industry I know nothing about.  Tony Beets has 2 dredges, one working one hopefully soon to be working.  Well not far from us there is a dredge set up as a historic site, left in place since the 50's I think.   and to see it in person is 100000% different than reading or watching about it.   

POINT is.. this post just illustrates how much I don't know (which I know is alot) and now need to add to my bucket list sites like this to bring old world blacksmithing into focus.  

There is a couple of YouTube videos showing waterwheel smiths in action.  so awesome to see.   Not sure i am aloud to link them, but a quick search should bring them up if anyone is interested. 

 

ARMY

[KMADDOX]

Another thanks on a great post. I love seeing history like this, the older i get the more id like to visit that area of the country for the history. 

[JHCC]

If you’re coming east, another great national park for those with our interests is Hopewell Furnace in Pennsylvania. Like Saugus, it is a reconstruction of an early ironworking plantation, but from about a century or two later.

 

[Stash]

Yup. Another good one, about 45 min from me, so we tend to hit it once a year. Hopewell is cool- the huge double bellows are still working off the huge waterwheel. They do demo castings in Al of the stove parts they. used to make. Definitely worth a visit.

Steve

[Frosty]

Thanks for tossing me down the rabbit hole Joh, I'm supposed to be packing for a short trip!

Great videos well worth the time, thanks.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Les L]

John,

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. 

[ThomasPowers]

Note that rolling and slitting was cutting edge technology being used at Saugus; most ironworks in Europe and England didn't have it!

England believed in mercantilism; where a country "farmed" their colonies for raw materials; but all "value added" work was done in the "England" with the profits (and employment) accruing to England.  So American colonies could refine iron ore; but further processing was to be done in England and the products sold back to to the colonies.  Protective tariffs were enacted to keep out other sources.  This was a major gripe that helped incite the revolution.

[JHCC]

The British started enforcing merchantilism after Saugus was already in production, beginning with the Navigation Act of 1655. The earliest forms of merchantilist laws simply prohibited exports to rival markets (e.g., selling tobacco to Dutch traders in the West Indies) or required colonial ships to unload in England so that their cargoes could be taxed there before going on to other markets. It wasn't until the passage of the Restraining Acts of 1699 (almost thirty years after Saugus closed) that Britain began to enforce limits on trade in colonial manufacturing, beginning with woolen goods and later molasses, beaver hats, and others. Merchantilism didn't specifically affect the iron trade until the passage of the Iron Act of 1750 (eighty years after Saugus closed), which eliminated duties on colonial pig and bar iron going to England (thus encouraging their trade) and forbade the building or expansion of rolling and slitting mills, finery furnaces, triphammers, and the like. The full text of the Iron Act can be read HERE.

[Farmall]

i would like to point out that the Falling Creek Ironworks in Virginia were sort of in operation before Saugus.  They were from 1619 until the Indian massacre in 1622.  According to the history i read, they were just beginning to smelt iron in 1622 when they were massacred.  I've heard that some bloomeries using bog iron were at Jamestown, but no real production.  Saugus was the first successful operation.  Virginia had hundreds of small furnaces producing pig iron at one point.  My great great grandfather worked in one.

[ThomasPowers]

Have you read "Bond of Iron" about a VA ironworks?

[Farmall]

yes sir  i have a copy.  My father lives on the family farm about 10 miles away from Buffalo Forge.  My great great grandfather worked at  Victoria Furnace in Goshen Virginia.  I also have a 6-inch post vise made and used by the blacksmiths at Tredegar Iron Works.  I bought it from the grandson of one of the blacksmiths who brought it home when Tredegar closed.

[ThomasPowers]

Don't let that one get away!

[JHCC]

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Have you read "Bond of Iron" about a VA ironworks?

I took the copy out of the college library, but other things came up. I’ll take it back out one of these days. 

[ThomasPowers]

It's more about sociological aspects than the technology; but it's good to be aware of the context.