Furnace Grove Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Furnace Grove Historic District
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | VT 9, 1 mi. E. of jct of VT 9 and Burgess Rd., Bennington, Vermont |
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| Area | 102 acres (41 ha) |
| Built | 1822 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Queen Anne, Blast Furnace |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000646 |
| Added to NRHP | June 27, 1997 |
The Furnace Grove Historic District is a special place near Bennington, Vermont. It holds the remains of an old iron factory from the 1800s. This factory was very busy making iron products. Later, it became a large farm. You can still see parts of the old furnaces, houses, and farm buildings there today. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 because of its history.
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What is Furnace Grove?
Furnace Grove is located on the eastern edge of Bennington, Vermont. It covers about 102 acres of land. This area is between the Walloomsac River and the Green Mountains.
Today, you can find three old houses and several farm buildings there. You can also see the remains of the iron factory. The land has not changed much since the early 1900s.
Important Buildings and Ruins
One of the oldest buildings was built around 1805. It used to be the factory's store. Now, it is a private home.
Two other important houses are the Leake House and the Leavenworth House. The Leake House has parts from 1830. The Leavenworth House is a brick house from the Federal period.
You can still see parts of two old iron furnaces. A third furnace was taken apart. Its stones were used to build the gates at the entrance to the area. You can also find parts of a canal and a pond. These provided water for the factory. A small part of the old Bennington and Glastenbury Railroad track also remains.
The Iron Factory's Story
The iron factory started in 1805. Its owners had another factory nearby, but its iron sources ran out. This new location was very successful. The town of Bennington even had to make its roads better to handle all the traffic.
At its busiest time, the factory employed 150 to 200 workers. In 1831, two active blast furnaces made 7 tons of pig iron every day. There was also a smaller furnace called a cupola furnace. This furnace could make the pig iron even better.
What They Made
The factory made many useful iron products. These included large cooking pots, fireboxes, and cooking stoves. They also made plow points for farming and parts for machines.
From Factory to Farm
The iron factory closed in 1842. It could not compete with bigger factories. Also, it had problems getting enough iron ore.
After it closed, the property changed. In the late 1800s, it became a summer country retreat. It was no longer an industrial site.
