Nassawango Iron Furnace Site
Encyclopedia
The Nassawango Iron Furnace was built in 1830 by the Maryland Iron Company to produce iron
from bog ore deposits in its vicinity. It is notable for its innovative use of a "hot blast"
technique for smelting the iron, which had only been developed in England
around 1828, and which may have been added to the Nassawango Furnace in 1837. Due to the variable nature of the bog ore deposits, the furnace stopped operations in 1849 .
The furnace is now centerpiece of the Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum
.
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
from bog ore deposits in its vicinity. It is notable for its innovative use of a "hot blast"
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
technique for smelting the iron, which had only been developed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
around 1828, and which may have been added to the Nassawango Furnace in 1837. Due to the variable nature of the bog ore deposits, the furnace stopped operations in 1849 .
The furnace is now centerpiece of the Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum
Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum
The Old Furnace Town Heritage Museum is an outdoor museum near Snow Hill Maryland that uses a living history format with live demonstrations to re-create a vanished 19th century community. The museum contains various historic buildings, including most importantly the Nassawango Iron Furnace, an...
.
External links
- Nassawango Iron Furnace Site, Worcester County, including undated, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Nassawango Iron Furnace, Furnace Road, 1.2 miles west of Maryland Route 12, Snow Hill vicinity, Worcester County, MD: 12 drawings, 4 photos, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page, at Historic American Building Survey