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The Southfield Furnace Ruin in Arden, New York, USA, was a longtime smelting site for iron ore mined from nearby veins in what is now Sterling Forest State Park. It is located on Arden Station Road just east of the New York State Thruway, and can easily be seen from the highway. It was built in 1806 by Peter Townsend II, who also owned the mines.[1] The Townsend family sold their holdings in 1864. As business began to falter in the late 19th century, the furnace and mine went through many different owners. World War I revived it briefly in the next century but the furnace shut down for good on July 1, 1923.[2]
Fifty years later, the buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places. They are on Columbia University's Arden property, but open to the public occasionally as a museum.
[edit] References
- ^ Bishop, John Leander; Edwin Troxell Freedley, Edward Young [1861]. A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860. Philadelphia: Edward Young & Co., 528. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. “Southfield furnace, six miles southeast of the Sterling Mines, owned by Peter Townsend & Co., was built in 1806”
- ^ Sterling Iron Mine and Railway Company, records 1740-1918PDF (206 KiB), retrieved 2007-09-02.
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