Blast Furnace

Using charcoal as its fuel, the Saugus blast furnace roared to life in 1646 and smelted locally-mined bog ore and gabbro into cast iron "pig" bars, blocks of iron that would be further processed in the forge to make wrought iron. A more fluid, "gray iron" was also poured into molds to make pots, kettles, skillets, firebacks and salt-pans as a finished product

• A wooden walkway with a charge hole sits above a large stone furnace. A wooden shed sits at the bottom of the furnace with a waterwheel to the right. Around the area are deciduous trees and fields of grass.

Casting Shed

Iron was poured into molds in the Casting Shed to make finished products including pots, kettles, skillets, firebacks, salt-pans, and even parts of the machinery used at the iron works. These finished products would be very hard, but also very brittle.

• The floor is sand and you are facing north as you enter. The roof over the casting beds are made of long pine boards and slopes eastward. In the northeast corner is a passage to the forge building.

Essex National Heritage Area

The Essex National Heritage Area begins just 10 miles north of Boston and covers 500 square miles of eastern Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border. The area includes hundreds of historical sites, miles of intact landscapes, glistening coastal regions and lifetimes of rich experiences that chronicle the history of the region and of the United States.

• Salem Armory Visitor Center. 316 words. The visitor center is a several story red brick building that is approximately 15,000 square feet. The exterior is historic in its character, with red brick columns in the south facing patio of the building. On all sides the building are different aspects of downtown Salem industry and social life: roads, parking lots, and museums. The building has two entrances: one on the southeast corner, and the other on the southwest corner. These are both large glass double-doors that are push/pull only and are accessible via a flat walkway. The interior of the building has three sections open to the public: the large main exhibit space, the giftshop space, then a long hallway leading to a theater. The main exhibit space is approximately 7,000 square feet with the ceiling approximately 50 feet high. On the south wall, there is a large replica of a tall ship, approximately 15 feet across and 30 feet tall, and a red historic coat on the wall. There is a large diorama in the middle of the room and a large flat-screen television with two rows of benches against the east wall. Near there, a replica of the building as it was is under a plastic case. The giftshop space includes multiple rows of shelves and aisles, each adorned with merchandise relating to the national park service or to Salem in particular. On the west side, a long desk used by park and store staff has two cash registers and two large flat-screen television screens on the wall. The long hallway begins north of the giftshop. The hallway is approximately 100 feet long and 25 feet wide. On either sides of the walls are drape exhibits with information relating to the site. Bathrooms are on the east side of this hallway. At the end of the wall way, wooden double-doors on the east side lead to a theater accommodating approximately 200 people. End of Description.

Forge

Most of the iron produced at the furnace was moved over to the forge, where sow bars were converted into wrought iron. A five-hundred pound hammer was used to forge a hot ball of iron into wrought iron "merchant bars," the Saugus works' major product. These bars were sold to merchants and blacksmiths for manufacture into finished products such as axes, hammers, hardware, and fireplace tools.

• A high pitched gable barn with brown wood siding. A gravel path leads to a wooden ramp with two large barn doors for an entrance. Three white stone chimneys and water wheels are to the left and right of the structure entrance. Surrounding the structure are fields of green grass and deciduous trees.

Iron Works House

The Iron Works House is the oldest building at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, dating to the 1680s. Over the years, it was home to many occupants. Its appearance changed as style changed, but most of the structure remained original. A photographer named Wallace Nutting dramatically changed the appearance of the house when he purchased it in 1915. He restored the house to what he thought it would have looked like in the 1600s, giving it the appearance we see today.

• A gray, three-story house with red front door. A flat, gravel path leads to the entrance at the center of the building. A set of stained glass windows are on either side the the front door. Three sets of stained glass windows located across the front of the building on the second floor. There are three roof peaks with two more stained glass windows on the left and right of the third floor.

Jenks Blacksmith Shop

In 1646, Joseph Jenks obtained a patent from the Massachusetts General Court which gave him exclusive right to build water mills for making scythes and other edge tools. His blacksmith shop was located near the Slag Pile and was not reconstructed.

• Marsh habitat at the edge of the Saugus River.

Museum

The Museum is filled with artifacts from archaeological site excavations throughout the park property. It contains moving models that help people understand how waterwheels powered different tools.

• A two story dark brown wooden building is situated among green fields of grass and deciduous trees. The north side of the building has several structures in the same style. A concrete pathway leads to the approximately 4000 square feet structure. The west side of the building has a large double-paned door. Towards the back of the room, is a large wooden door that leads to the interior of the Iron Works House. The interior of this building is called the museum. It is a two story space, with numerous rooms displaying artifacts representing living and working conditions of people during the heyday of the historic use of the building. The floors are wooden, creaky, and the staircase to the second floor is narrow.

Nature Trail

Explore the wilder side of Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site along the nature trail! The trail starts near the blacksmith shop and follows the eastern bank of the Saugus River for a 0.25 mile.

• The 0.25 mile earthen trail is relatively flat and easy. Rocks and tree roots are present. The start of the trail is located near the blacksmith shop in the lower portion of the park. There are stairs and a sloped, paved path from the visitor center.

Rolling and Slitting Mill

A number of merchant bars were sheared in half and heated in the furnace, then run through rollers to draw them out. Some of these rolled pieces were shipped as they were, while others were passed back through slitters, reducing them to thin rods. Most were bundled for shipment to Boston and other New England settlements, although the Saugus blacksmith cut some into nails for local use.

• A gravel path leads up to the wooden structure with gable roof. Stones line the base of the building. Two small windows with wooden shutters open on either side of the front entrance. Two waterwheels are on the side of the building to the right of the entrance. There is a white stone chimney at the back of the building.

Saugus Blacksmith Shop

A blacksmith shop is where semi-finished products from the Forge and the Rolling and Slitting Mill were turned into finished products. The Saugus Blacksmith Shop, however, did not make products for sale.

• A natural path leads to this one-story wood building. Wooden barn doors spanning the front of the structure open out for visitors to view the inside. A single wooden bench sits in front of the structure.

Saugus River

The Saugus River flows from Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield to the Atlantic Ocean just south of Nahant and was the key to the operation of the iron works. Sluiceways brought water to each building, where it turned water wheels powering bellows, the trip hammer, and the rolling and slitting machinery.

• A slow moving tidal river. During low tide the water level drops becoming quite shallow. A warehouse sits on the riverbank with an adjacent wooden dock. The banks on either side have a gradual slope with visible marshland.

Slag Pile

From its earliest production, iron workers dumped slag waste from the smelting process into the Saugus River. The slag is an important resource that documents iron production at Saugus over 20 years of production.

• A natural ridge covered in grass next to a river. The land rises sharply next to the water.

Warehouse and Dock

Shallow draft boats made their way up and down the tidal Saugus River transporting raw materials in and finished products out. Goods loaded at the Saugus dock were brought to Boston where the iron cargo was transferred onto ships that were destined for other parts of Massachusetts, London, and even Barbados.

• A small, one-story building with wood siding and a gable roof. A gravel paths leads to the front of the building. A wooden dock on the Saugus River is to the right of the structure entrance.

Broadhearth

• Broadhearth
• Located within the Iron Works House annex, Broadhearth serves as the park visitor center.

• Become a Saugus Iron Works Junior Ranger
• Work together or adventure on your own, this youth focused program is your one-page guide to your National Park! The Junior Ranger Guide can be completed in-person, online, or by using the National Park Service App. 

• Visit Broadhearth Visitor Center
• Located within the Iron Works House annex, Broadhearth serves as the park visitor center. Books and souvenirs can be purchased inside at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site Park Store.

• Take an Industrial Site Tour
• This guided tour begins at the Visitor Center and stops at three significant locations. At each, there is a mechanical demonstration using historic replicas of water wheels that would have been used in the original iron works.

• Attend a Blacksmith Demonstration
• Blacksmithing demonstrations are one of the most popular programs offered by the park. Visitors will get to observe staff create various metal objects and ask questions about blacksmithing.

• Watch Iron Works on the Saugus
• The Saugus Iron Works official park film provides an overview of the creation, operation and historical significance of Saugus Iron Works in the 17th century. 

• Become a Saugus Iron Works B.A.R.K. Ranger
• Hello four-legged friends! Do you want to explore Saugus Iron Works with your leash-holding companions? Interested in getting your very own B.A.R.K. Ranger dog tag? We made it easy for your human to help you get one. Just follow the B.A.R.K. Ranger principles!

Places of Saugus Iron Works

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, or Hammersmith as it was called, represents North America’s 17th century transformation from stone to iron tool manufacturing. In a venture intended to make the Massachusetts Bay Colony more self-reliant, English investors financed the creation of the Company of Undertakers for the iron works in New England. These workmen would help Massachusetts achieve its goals. Use this walking tour to get acquainted with the grounds, buildings and history at the iron works.