Iron manufacturing in colonial North America had its origins in the promotional tracts of Thomas Harriot during the 16th century. Harriot noted that iron manufacturing in the New World would be of great benefit to England because of the abundance of natural resources, particularly iron ore, limestone, and timber. Early attempts were made to develop iron plantations at Jamestown, but the glow from the furnace stacks alerted Native Americans, who demolished the facilities and killed the workers. The scarcity of capital limited the opportunities for future development in the Chesapeake area throughout most of the 17th century.
New Englanders erected the first successful venture at Saugus, Massachusetts, in 1646. To promote iron making, workers were exempted from military service and the furnace from taxation. The availability of creeks and streams, along with ore and wood, dictated the success or failure of the operations at Saugus and other locations throughout New England. Not all of the ventures prospered, and fewer than a dozen ironworks existed in New England at the end of the 17th century.
The colonial iron industry began to thrive in the 18th century. After Queen Anne’s War iron production boomed in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The Pennsylvania enterprises were the most successful; by the time of the Revolution, more than 70 furnaces, forges, and other ironworks were in operation throughout the colony. “Iron plantations” developed in the interior, located close to water for power, iron mines for ore, and forests for fuel. These plantations were as selfsufficient as their counterparts in the Chesapeake area, providing housing for the owner and workers as well as other outbuildings to service their needs. In addition to the furnace complex, a typical iron plantation included a general store, blacksmith shop, gristmill, barns, grain fields, orchards, and bake ovens. The workforce was comprised of skilled and unskilled settlers, indentured servants, and slaves. Ironmasters were the largest slaveholders in colonial Pennsylvania.
By the time of the Revolution, more furnaces were in operation in the colonies than in the entire British Isles. The production at these facilities prompted Parliament to pass restrictive legislation beginning in 1750. Like other imperial regulations of the era, the Iron Acts had little effect on eliminating competition from the colonies. At the time of the Revolution, the iron produced in the colonies exceeded 30,000 tons annually, approximately one-seventh of the world’s production.
Further reading: Arthur C. Bining, Pennsylvania Iron Manufacture in the Eighteenth Century, 2nd ed. (Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1971).
—Karen Guenther
World History
