First Iron Furnace in U.S.A. - Iron Furnace Ruins on Waymarking.com

The John Winthrop Jr. Iron Furnace (1644—1653) may properly be considered the birthplace of much of the iron and steel industry in the United States. Here was produced the first commercial iron in this country, and from here iron workers carried their skills to establish iron works elsewhere and from this furnace, in direct succession, the great iron and steel industry of today. The Braintree Furnace, as it was originally called, on Furnace Brook in West Quincy, was built and operated by The Company of the Undertakers of the IronWorks in America of which John Winthrop Jr. was the principal organizer and agent. The Company consisted of about twenty Englishmen and three or four residents of Massachusetts. This location was selected for the Company's first furnace after a survey of many potential sites along the coast from Maine to Plymouth, because of the presence of water power, bog ore and wood. Records show that the furnace was in operation by the late spring of 1645 and excavation has made it clear that both pig iron and some hollow-ware were cast here.

Dates of Operation: Not listed Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/03/2005 NorStar visited it 08/22/2005 Golfin'Fool and Me too! wrote comment for it 01/02/2005 Berjr1 visited it

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