“The iron industry of Connecticut is almost as old as the State itself; Governor Winthrop’s furnace at Lake Saltonstall dates from 1658, and the mining and smelting of ore at one time was among the most important industries of Connecticut. Many of the Revolutionary cannon and cannon balls were cast in Lakeville; Connecticut iron was used for the great Rodman guns and for the armor of many of the monitors and iron-clads of the Civil War; while chilled cast-iron car wheels from Salisbury ore were the standard of the world.”
CHARLES RUFUS HARTE
New Haven, Connecticut
The upper Housatonic River valley was a hotbed of industrial activity since colonial time. Check out pictures of the by-gone era at the following locations.
- Beckley Furnace
- Blowing Engines
- Buena Vista
- Bulls Bridge-Macedonia
- Chapin-Joyce
- Charcoal
- Cornwall Bridge
- Copake
- Dogtown
- East Canaan
- Falls Village-Ames
- Kent
- Limerock
- Mines
- Riga
- Roxbury
- Miscellaneous
Wait! There’s more.
The Iron Heritage Trail
The Iron Heritage Trail is a joint project of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (of the National Parks Service) and the Friends of Beckley Furnace, Inc. The Trail is actually not a trail at all — instead, it’s a map of suggested routes to visit important sites in the National Heritage Area.
Trail Map
Click below to view a short video of the Iron Heritage Trail experience.
Recent photos
