Old Furnace State Park
Encyclopedia
Old Furnace State Park is a Connecticut state park in Killingly
, Windham County
, Connecticut
in the United States. The park is 367 acres (148.5 ha) and sits at an elevation of 390 feet (118.9 m). Old Furnace State Park is open for year-round recreation and is located in Eastern Connecticut east of Interstate 395, south of U.S. Route 6
and north of Connecticut Route 695. The park is the site of a former iron furnace
. It was established as a town park in 1909 before being transferred to the state in 1918.
that operated on the site from prior to the American Revolutionary War
until the mid-19th century when the locally found natural resources to make the iron
were depleted. During the Revolution the furnace produced iron that was converted into horseshoe
s that were sold to the Continental Army
. The furnace was one of many industrial locations found at the fall line
throughout the New England
states. Industries grew in this area to harness the potential energy
to power all sorts of machinary including gristmill
s, sawmill
s and textile factories.
Land use in Killingly changed over the years and by the 1830s a gristmill was situated in what is now the park. The furnace remained in operation as did a forge
. The furnace was very similar to others constructed in New England during the time period. The natural resource
s were found locally. Iron ore was mined from swamps and bogs. Charcoal
was produced from the many trees in the local forests. Limestone
and gabbro
were used as flux
. Hot air powered by large waterwheels was blasted into the fires of the furnace. The iron ore was converted into molten iron that was used to produce horseshoes and later metal parts for the many cotton mill
s that were built in the Killingly area.
William Pike was the last owner of the land on which the industries were located. He sold his property to the town of Killingly in 1909. The town established a park at "Old Furnace" and later sold the land to the state of Connecticut in 1918. The park was originally just 4.5 acres (1.8 ha). It grew considerably with the addition of the "Ross Camp" area in 1964 and now is 367 acres (148.5 ha).
and coniferous
trees including Eastern Hemlock, Pitch Pine
, Eastern White Pine
, oak
, beech
, maple
, birch
, and hickory
. There are several streams and wetland
s in the park. These in addition to the ponds are ideal for the growth of waterlillies, skunk cabbage
and cattails. Some invasive species
are cause for concern for biologists. Purple loosestrife
and phragmites are choking out native plants.
. Along the way, the trail crosses Furnace Brook and passes by several man made ponds.
Killingly, Connecticut
Killingly is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,472 at the 2000 census. It consists of the borough of Danielson and the villages of Attawaugan, Ballouville, Dayville, East Killingly, Rogers, and South Killingly....
, Windham County
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in the United States. The park is 367 acres (148.5 ha) and sits at an elevation of 390 feet (118.9 m). Old Furnace State Park is open for year-round recreation and is located in Eastern Connecticut east of Interstate 395, south of U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
and north of Connecticut Route 695. The park is the site of a former iron furnace
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
. It was established as a town park in 1909 before being transferred to the state in 1918.
History
Old Furnace State Park is named for an iron furnaceBloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
that operated on the site from prior to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
until the mid-19th century when the locally found natural resources to make the iron
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...
were depleted. During the Revolution the furnace produced iron that was converted into 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...
s that were sold to the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. The furnace was one of many industrial locations found at the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
throughout the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states. Industries grew in this area to harness the potential energy
Potential energy
In physics, potential energy is the energy stored in a body or in a system due to its position in a force field or due to its configuration. The SI unit of measure for energy and work is the Joule...
to power all sorts of machinary including gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and textile factories.
Land use in Killingly changed over the years and by the 1830s a gristmill was situated in what is now the park. The furnace remained in operation as did a forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
. The furnace was very similar to others constructed in New England during the time period. The natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
s were found locally. Iron ore was mined from swamps and bogs. Charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
was produced from the many trees in the local forests. Limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
were used as flux
Flux
In the various subfields of physics, there exist two common usages of the term flux, both with rigorous mathematical frameworks.* In the study of transport phenomena , flux is defined as flow per unit area, where flow is the movement of some quantity per time...
. Hot air powered by large waterwheels was blasted into the fires of the furnace. The iron ore was converted into molten iron that was used to produce horseshoes and later metal parts for the many cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s that were built in the Killingly area.
William Pike was the last owner of the land on which the industries were located. He sold his property to the town of Killingly in 1909. The town established a park at "Old Furnace" and later sold the land to the state of Connecticut in 1918. The park was originally just 4.5 acres (1.8 ha). It grew considerably with the addition of the "Ross Camp" area in 1964 and now is 367 acres (148.5 ha).
Ecology
The old-growth forests of Eastern Connecticut were stripped away to provide wood for charcoal and lumber for homes, factories and business. Iron ore was extracted from the ground. Land was cleared for farming. Since the end of the industrial era, the trees have come back. Little evidence of the industrial past remains. Man made ponds provide habitats for a variety of wildlife. The foundations and stone walls are now surrounded by a second growth forest of deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
trees including Eastern Hemlock, Pitch Pine
Pitch Pine
The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized pine, native to eastern North America. This species occasionally hybridizes with other pine species such as Loblolly Pine , Shortleaf Pine , and Pond Pine The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 meters or 20-100 feet)...
, Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, and hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
. There are several streams and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s in the park. These in addition to the ponds are ideal for the growth of waterlillies, skunk cabbage
Skunk Cabbage
Skunk Cabbage may refer to:* the genus Lysichiton* Asian Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton camtschatcense, grows in eastern Asia* Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, grows in eastern North America...
and cattails. Some invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
are cause for concern for biologists. Purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae, native to Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Primulaceae...
and phragmites are choking out native plants.
Recreation
Old Furnace State Park is open for year-round recreation including hiking, hunting, fishing and boating. A 3 miles (4.8 km) hiking trail begins at the parking lot near U.S. Route 6 on the northern edge of the park. The trail crosses the park and ascends 200 feet (61 m) to a cliff. From the clifftop visitors can look to the east and view parts of neighboring Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Along the way, the trail crosses Furnace Brook and passes by several man made ponds.