NORTH CANAAN — At around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, the volunteer crew at Beckley Furnace was ready to share the history of the 19th-century iron-making site with visitors arriving for a Housatonic Heritage Walk.
Geoff Brown of Salisbury and Bob and True Anderson of East Canaan waited near the restored furnace and talked about the work undertaken to preserve the historic site in the early 2000s.
Brown said he remained mindful of those who helped document and preserve the region’s iron-making history.
“We’ve lost our five best historians in recent years,” he said.
The five were Dick Paddock, Ed Kirby, Ron Jones, Fred Hall and Fred Warner.
Shortly before 11 a.m., the first car arrived. Two more soon followed, and the volunteers fielded questions not answered by the interpretive signs. They also showed visitors samples of iron ore, limestone and charcoal, the raw materials used in the iron-making process.
Bob Anderson said the Beckley Furnace property was in poor condition around 1998 and 1999.
“There was garbage everywhere. The furnace was crumbling. It was a mess,” he said.
The furnace has since been restored, and the site’s exhibits include two restored turbines.
Across the bridge over the Blackberry River is a six-acre slag pile, made up of material left over from the iron-making process.
“We’re the only historical site that encourages people to take souvenirs,” Brown said.
“Easy to do when you’ve got six acres of it,” Anderson replied.
Visitors may tour the site on their own. Interpretive signs include QR codes providing access to additional information on the Friends of Beckley Furnace website at beckleyfurnace.org.
