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Under the direction of Richard Leader this Colonial ironworks, the ?birthplace? of the American iron and steel industry, was built in 1646 in Hammersmith (now called Saugus), Massachusetts. This replica, on the original site, consists of a blast furnace, forge, rolling and slitting mill, wharf, warehouse and smaller buildings to store charcoal and supplies. The Ironmaster's House, still standing, was built by Farmer Thomas Dexter about 1643. Ore for the ironworks came from bogs, swamps and river beds in the area. From a beginning that saw iron being exported overseas, the Colonial iron works found, in later years, it was unable to meet the competition of imported iron and closed in 1670. |
