Burden Ironworks
Encyclopedia
The Burden Iron Works was an iron works and industrial complex on the Hudson River
and Wynantskill Creek in Troy, New York
. It once housed the Burden Water Wheel, the most powerful vertical water wheel
in history. It most likely inspired George Washington Ferris to build the Ferris wheel
. The iron works site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as an archaeological site
in 1977. The Burden Ironworks Office Building
was previously listed in 1972.
was an inventive genius. He built an industrial complex in South Troy
that featured the most powerful water wheel in the world.
Burden's horseshoe
machine, invented in 1835, and was capable of making 60 horseshoes a minute, was a technological wonder. His rotary concentric squeezer, a machine for working wrought iron, was adopted by iron industries world wide. His hook-headed spike machine helped fuel the rapid expansion of railroads
in the U.S.
Henry Burden
was born in Scotland
and emigrated to the U.S.in 1819. Burden started in the Troy iron industry in 1822, as superintendent of the Troy Iron and Nail Factory, on the Wynantskill in South Troy. Burden's inventions, which automated work that was previously done by hand, made the factory extremely profitable. Burden soon became the sole owner of the factory and renamed it H. Burden and Sons.
Henry Burden realized that Troy's strategic location as a hub of rail and water transportation networks made it possible to produce and ship an enormous quantity of finished goods-fifty one million horseshoes per year, for instance.
The most impressive example of an American overshot water wheel was built by Henry Burden in 1851 to drive his automatic horseshoe and spike manufacturing plant at Troy, New York. This was not the largest water wheel of its type so far as diameter
was concerned, being exceeded in this respect, though probable not in power. A larger water wheel is at Laxey on the Isle of Man
and at Greenock, Scotland, the latter supplied by Shaw's Waterworks with water from an elevated reservoir
. The Burden Water Wheel was sixty-two feet in diameter and twenty-two feet in breath, was supplied by a small stream, the Wynantskill, whose natural fall of some fifty feet was increased substantially together with provision of storage capacity for year round operation by a dam and related structures of conduit and penstock of ingenious design. It weighed 250 tons and could produce 500 horsepower when spinning 2.5 times a minute. The water wheel itself was of what came to be termed the "suspension" type, familiar to us in the bicycle
wheel, with iron rods in tension replacing the usual arms. It was made almost entirely of iron, save for the drum or soling of the wheel and its buckets. The appearance of the water wheel and the details of its construction and of the elaborate gearing by means of which the power was taken off and conveyed to the mill are shown in the drawings. This gigantic prime mover was continuously in service night and day for nearly one half of a century. Following its abandonment in the 1890s, it lay idle for another twenty years before its final collapse. A local poet had called it 'the Niagara of Water-wheels'
The museum is operated by the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, which also maintains downtown Troy's RiverSpark Visitor Center (where there are additional exhibits about the city's history) and sponsors a regular series of tours, including one that focuses on Troy's large concentration of Tiffany windows. Self-guided walking tours of the city's large collection of 19th-century buildings
are also available there.
The museum is open by appointment only.
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and Wynantskill Creek in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
. It once housed the Burden Water Wheel, the most powerful vertical water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
in history. It most likely inspired George Washington Ferris to build the Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
. The iron works site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as an archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
in 1977. The Burden Ironworks Office Building
Burden Ironworks Office Building
Burden Ironworks Office Building is a historic office building located at Troy in Rensselaer County, New York. It was built about 1880 and is a one story, brick building laid out in a cruciform plan...
was previously listed in 1972.
History
Henry BurdenHenry Burden
Henry Burden was an engineer and businessman who built an industrial complex in Troy, New York called the Burden Iron Works that featured the most powerful water wheel in the world.-Early life:...
was an inventive genius. He built an industrial complex in South Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
that featured the most powerful water wheel in the world.
Burden's horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
machine, invented in 1835, and was capable of making 60 horseshoes a minute, was a technological wonder. His rotary concentric squeezer, a machine for working wrought iron, was adopted by iron industries world wide. His hook-headed spike machine helped fuel the rapid expansion of railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
in the U.S.
Henry Burden
Henry Burden
Henry Burden was an engineer and businessman who built an industrial complex in Troy, New York called the Burden Iron Works that featured the most powerful water wheel in the world.-Early life:...
was born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and emigrated to the U.S.in 1819. Burden started in the Troy iron industry in 1822, as superintendent of the Troy Iron and Nail Factory, on the Wynantskill in South Troy. Burden's inventions, which automated work that was previously done by hand, made the factory extremely profitable. Burden soon became the sole owner of the factory and renamed it H. Burden and Sons.
Henry Burden realized that Troy's strategic location as a hub of rail and water transportation networks made it possible to produce and ship an enormous quantity of finished goods-fifty one million horseshoes per year, for instance.
The most impressive example of an American overshot water wheel was built by Henry Burden in 1851 to drive his automatic horseshoe and spike manufacturing plant at Troy, New York. This was not the largest water wheel of its type so far as diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
was concerned, being exceeded in this respect, though probable not in power. A larger water wheel is at Laxey on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and at Greenock, Scotland, the latter supplied by Shaw's Waterworks with water from an elevated reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
. The Burden Water Wheel was sixty-two feet in diameter and twenty-two feet in breath, was supplied by a small stream, the Wynantskill, whose natural fall of some fifty feet was increased substantially together with provision of storage capacity for year round operation by a dam and related structures of conduit and penstock of ingenious design. It weighed 250 tons and could produce 500 horsepower when spinning 2.5 times a minute. The water wheel itself was of what came to be termed the "suspension" type, familiar to us in the bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
wheel, with iron rods in tension replacing the usual arms. It was made almost entirely of iron, save for the drum or soling of the wheel and its buckets. The appearance of the water wheel and the details of its construction and of the elaborate gearing by means of which the power was taken off and conveyed to the mill are shown in the drawings. This gigantic prime mover was continuously in service night and day for nearly one half of a century. Following its abandonment in the 1890s, it lay idle for another twenty years before its final collapse. A local poet had called it 'the Niagara of Water-wheels'
Today
An exhibit on Greater Troy's industrial history is housed in the former office of the Burden Iron Works. Constructed 1881-2, the distinguished brick Romanesque Revival building contains examples of objects manufactured in the city throughout the 19th century.The museum is operated by the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, which also maintains downtown Troy's RiverSpark Visitor Center (where there are additional exhibits about the city's history) and sponsors a regular series of tours, including one that focuses on Troy's large concentration of Tiffany windows. Self-guided walking tours of the city's large collection of 19th-century buildings
Central Troy Historic District
The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly-shaped, area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to...
are also available there.
The museum is open by appointment only.
External links
- Burden Iron Works, Wynants Kill & Burden Street, Troy, Rensselaer, NY: 5 photos and 25 data pages at Historic American Building Survey
- Burden Iron Works, Upper (Water) Works, Burden Street & Wynants Kill, Troy, Rensselaer, NY: 4 photos and 1 data page at Historic American Building Survey
- Burden Iron Works, Office Building, Polk Street, Troy, Rensselaer, NY: 6 photos and 5 data pages at Historic American Building Survey
- Burden Iron Works, Lower (Steam) Works, Hudson River, Wynants Kill Vicinity, Troy, Rensselaer, NY: 3 photos and 1 data page at Historic American Building Survey
- Burden Iron Works, Water Wheel, U.S. Route 4, Troy, Rensselaer, NY: 4 photos and 1 data page at Historic American Building Survey
- Museum Home Page
- Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area: Burden Iron Works Museum
- Henry Burden and the Water Wheel
- Lost Landmarks: Rensselaer Iron Works Trial by Fire