| (Much of this section is based on Ed Kirby's "East Canaan Iron Chronology:
1739 - 1999"; John Rodemeyer's Scrap Book of
North Canaan; material from the archives of Trinity
Church, Lime Rock; and a website about the Canaan
Mountain Natural Area Preserve ) |
| 1739 |
Richard Seymour constructs a "bloomery forge" on
the south bank of the Blackberry River |
| 1743 |
Samuel Forbes, age 14, of Simsbury, CT, moves to Sheffield,
MA and works at the Seymour Forge in East Canaan |
| 1780 |
The partnership of Samuel Forbes and John Adam is formed |
(photo from Scrap Book of North Canaan) |
| 1832 |
Samuel Forbes Adam, grandson of Samuel Forbes, builds the
first blast furnace in East Canaan (known as Forbes Furnace/East Canaan
#1). Its location on the Blackberry River is a few hundred yards
downstream of the future site of Beckley Furnace. |
| 1841 |
The Housatonic Railroad is completed to Canaan. |
| 1847 |
East Canaan #2, which comes to be known as the
John Adam Beckley Blast Furnace,
is built by John Adam Beckley, great grandson of Samuel Forbes and partner
William Peirce. Base
is 30' x 30', initial height is 32'. |
| 1856 |
Major update of Beckley Furnace
occurs. |
| 1858 |
The Barnum Richardson Company, of Lime Rock, acquires
Beckley Furnace. They will eventually own eight blast furnaces in the
area, as well as extensive fabricating capacity at their foundries and
works in Lime Rock, where the output from the East Canaan furnaces is taken
for further processing.
to see photographs from the archives of
Trinity Church, Lime Rock, of William H. Barnum, President of Barnum and
Richardson, and his family, and links to other information about the Barnum
and Richardson families. |
| 1872 |
Barnum and Richardson build East Canaan #3. This
furnace will later be known as "the furnace in the field" because
of its distance from the Blackberry River, and eventually as "Lower
Furnace" because of its position relative to the other furnaces
(Beckley and East Canaan #1) |
| 1880 |
Beckley Furnace updated with steam power to supplement
the water power used for the furnace blowers. |
| 1883 |
East Canaan #1 (Forbes Furnace) is closed. |
| 1889 |
William Henry Barnum, President of Barnum
Richardson Company (and former United States Senator from Connecticut as
well as former chairman of the national Democratic Party), dies. |
| 1896 |
Always a threat in the iron industry, a major fire sweeps the
Beckley Furnace area, destroying most of the wooden outbuildings above
the charging wall. |
| |
(photo from Scrap Book of North Canaan) |
| 1898 |
Rebuilding of the complex is sufficiently well
along to put Beckley Furnace back into blast. Height of furnace has
been increased to 40'. |
| 1915 |
New England Slag Company formed, with the
objective of crushing and screening the accumulated slag and potentially
incorporate it into concrete. (Some of the abandoned equipment in the woods
across Blackberry River may date from this period). |
| 1918-1919 |
The United States enters World War I, which greatly increases
demand for iron. Barnum Richardson begin construction of a new
furnace, known as East
Canaan #4, in June of that year. However, the spike in the demand
curve is short-lived as the war ends not long after the US enters it. A major salamander at Beckley is removed but
furnace efficiency is reduced in the rebuilding process. Beckley closes during the winter of
1918-1919. Construction activities on East Canaan #4 cease in June
1919 without it ever coming into blast. |
| 1920 |
Barnum Richardson Company is acquired by the Salisbury
Iron Company. |
| 1923 |
East Canaan #3 goes out of blast in April, leaving East
Canaan with no active iron industry for the first time in 184 years.
The Salisbury Iron Company suspends operations. |
| 1925 |
Salisbury Iron Company goes into
receivership. Sale of thousands of acres of land to the State of
Connecticut begins, including what is now most of Housatonic State Forest
in Sharon, Housatonic Meadows State Park and state forests on Canaan
Mountain and in Cornwall. |
| 1920s-1930s |
Bricks of the casting and blower houses at
Beckley Furnace are sold and removed. |
| 1945 |
Charles Rufus Harte calls for saving the Beckley
Furnace Stack. |
| 1946 |
The State of Connecticut purchases Beckley Furnace and
designates the furnace as "Connecticut's Industrial Monument".
Deed for the furnace is turned over to the State. |
| 1978 |
Beckley Furnace is placed on the National Register of
Historic Places |
| 1996 |
The Committee for the Preservation of Beckley Furnace is
formed. A preservation study report is completed by Ed
Kirby.
to view the report. |
| 1998 |
The State of Connecticut bonds preservation of the furnace
stack in the amount of $250,000
with reconstruction beginning in Spring 1999 |
| 2002 |
The former Paymaster's office and nearby residence are acquired
by the State of Connecticut and renovation of the Paymaster's office into
an educational center for the Beckley Furnace site begins |
| July 5, 2003 |
Beckley Furnace Educational Center opens to the public for the first time |
| June, 2005 |
New interpretive signs and new signs
clearly identifying the Beckley Furnace site are installed and dedicated. |
| July 15, 2005 |
In the course of
archaeological excavation of the tailrace of what was earlier believed to
be "the" turbine, the Friends of Beckley Furnace uncover a second turbine. |
| |
(Click on the photo to see more information about "The furnace in a
field" and East Canaan #1 from a sign on Lower Road). |
|
Click here to visit the
Friends of Beckley Furnace
website
|
