Beckley Furnace: Connecticut’s Industrial Monument

Located on a back road in the hamlet of East Canaan, in the northwest corner of Connecticut, Beckley Furnace is Connecticut’s only designated Industrial Monument.  People visit our historic blast furnace for many reasons: education, recreation, relaxation, and just plain curiosity.   “What IS that thing?” is frequently the first question visitors ask! To help answer this question we have created several web pages to help you understand what you are seeing. The guided tour starts here.

Beckley Iron Furnace is the centerpiece of the Iron Heritage Trail for the now-vanished iron industry of the Upper Housatonic River Valley.  It’s also a model of industrial sculpture — so much so that it’s officially Connecticut’s Industrial Monument.

Whether you’re visiting this historic blast furnace for educational or research purposes, whether you’re embarked on our Iron Heritage Trail, if you’d just like to enjoy our park-like setting, or if you are just plain curious, you are welcome.  We (the Friends of Beckley Furnace, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization who maintain, interpret, and research Beckley Furnace and the historic iron industry) hope we can offer you some material that you’ll find interesting.

Children’s Beckley Activity Book

You might be interested in downloading and printing out our Children’s Activity Booklet before you arrive. You can complete the Booklet by yourself or with an adult. If you get stuck, you can ask the Friends of the Beckley Furnace for help. 

Mini-Documentary of the Salisbury Iron District:

In the following 30 minute mini-documentary “Visions of Iron“, historian and retired educator Ed Kirby weaves a narrative thread through the complex story of iron making in the Salisbury Iron District. Thanks to the Sharon Historical Society.