Stonework Along The Iron Heritage Trail

This month, we're more than a stone's throw away from Raleigh. On a recent visit to Connecticut, we discovered the historic stonework along the Iron Heritage Trail. The Iron Heritage Trail is a series of 58 blast furnaces, lime kilns, forges, iron mining and mill sites in northwestern Connecticut and the surrounding areas of Massachusetts and New York.

At one time, this area was the center of America's iron industry. Today, it's a beautiful drive along lush rolling hills, quiet New England towns and for stone enthusiasts, more rambling walls than you can shake a chisel at. Here's a handful of interesting stops along the way:

The Beckley Blast Furnace (above and four photos below) is located in East Canaan, Connecticut. It was constructed of locally quarried marble in 1847 and stands 40 feet high. Originally built 32 feet high, you can see where masons added 8 more feet to the top at some point during its operation. Stabilization and preservation of the furnace was completed in 1999. The furnace is on the National Register of Historic Places. With an annual river walk celebrating local heritage, it's the centerpiece of the Iron Heritage Trail.

Tuyere arches are found on three faces of the furnace

Retaining wall adjacent to the furnace

Quarry marks on a massive marble corner piece

Cutaway view of the hearth

These conical charcoal kilns sit stoically along Deep Hollow Road just off Highway 22 in Wassaic, New York, a hamlet of Amenia.

Top of the charcoal kiln above

Looking up from inside the dark kiln

Sharon Valley Lime Kiln on Sharon Station Road

The restored Sharon Valley Lime Kiln in Sharon, Connecticut was constructed of coarsely cut limestone around 1880. Stone for the kiln was quarried on-site. The stack was stabilized with white oak timber binders installed at two levels.

Kent Furnace, located on Route 7 in Kent, Connecticut was put into blast in 1826.

Interior view of the stabilization of Kent Furnace

The Iron Heritage Trail is a fun exploration if you love stonework, industrial monuments or history. Locals recommend viewing these sites in the spring and fall, as the heavy vegetation of summer can obscure the aging remains. Special thanks to Elizabeth Shapiro with the Sharon Historical Society. She was more than willing to share her obvious love of history with us even though they were closed for the day.

Your comments and questions are welcome below.

References

Echoes Of Iron In Connecticut's Northwest Corner by Ed Kirby

Sharon Historical Society

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3 Comments to Stonework Along The Iron Heritage Trail:

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Matt on Monday, September 17, 2012 8:32 AM

I just stumbled across your blog and saw this post. I know well these furnaces and the region they are in having lived in the northwest corner in Goshen, CT. I passed the Sharon Valley Kiln and the one in Kent regularly. We moved a few years ago after being there our whole lives and I really miss seeing all the walls and stone-work!

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	Joe Valles on Monday, February 18, 2013 12:20 PM Hi Matt - Thanks for your comment. I missed it back when you posted it. I can imagine those furnaces are like old friends if you grew up near them! It's so cool that they have (mostly) been restored. There's one in this area, but it's in poor shape. It was built during the Civil War. Matt on Monday, February 18, 2013 4:37 PM Hey Joe, Yeah, it's a pretty great area with lots of early american stonework. Like I mentioned, I lived only 16.5 miles from Beckley Furnace, but never saw it in person...and I had my Gothic Vault and concept before I saw your post. But the similarity is there!

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