Amateur Archaeologist Discovers Ironworks
An amateur archaeologist from Virginia has discovered what is thought to be the oldest iron smelting furnace in America. The man found it after heavy rains had caused erosion along the banks of the creek.
The ruins of a 17th-century iron blast furnace built by some of the country's first settlers have been uncovered along the banks of Falling Creek in Chesterfield County.
Historians say the furnace, built around 1619 by the Virginia Company of London, is a significant find because it is the first ironworks in North America and the earliest known evidence of heavy industry in the New World.
County officials yesterday announced the find, made five weeks ago by county public utilities employee Ralph Lovern, an amateur archaeologist who frequently combed the area looking for Indian artifacts.
"Something to tell the grandkids," he said, smiling…..
……At its industrial height, the furnace could have produced 600 tons of iron a year. But the furnace settlement was attacked in 1622 — just months into its operation — by the Powhatans, who killed all of the workers. Attempts to revive the ironworks were unsuccessful, and by 1624, it had been abandoned.
There is video and a photo at the link. More about the history of iron smelting here.
