Mount Savage Iron Works facts for kids

The Mount Savage Iron Works was a huge factory that made iron products. It was located in Mount Savage, Maryland, and operated from 1837 to 1868. In the late 1840s, it was the biggest iron factory in the entire United States. It was also the first in the country to make heavy rails for building railroads. This factory was built near mines where they could get coal, iron ore, and fire clay. The Mount Savage Iron Works had many parts, including blast furnaces (for melting iron), puddling furnaces, a rolling mill (to shape the iron), and places to make coke (a special fuel) and bricks.

History of Mount Savage Iron Works

Starting the Iron Works

The story of Mount Savage Iron Works began in 1837. A company called the Maryland and New York Coal and Iron Company was formed. This company bought land north of Frostburg, Maryland. A man named Samuel Swartwout, who bought and sold land in New York, led the company. They decided to name the area Mount Savage. Their plan was to build a large iron factory there.

Building and Early Production

The company raised money from investors. By 1840, they had built two blast furnaces. These furnaces used coke as fuel to melt iron. In 1843, they built a rolling mill. This mill was specially designed to make rails for railroads. In 1844, they started making "bridge rails." These rails were shaped like an upside-down "U" and weighed about 42 pounds per yard.

Some of the first rails made were used to build a railroad line. This line connected Mount Savage to Cumberland, Maryland. It also linked up with the important Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). The company also made heavier, "T"-shaped rails. These weighed 50 pounds per yard and were sold to the Fall River Railroad in Massachusetts. They also sold rails to the B&O. By 1845, the factory was making about 200 tons of iron every week!

Challenges and New Ownership

In 1846 and 1847, the Mount Savage works faced some big problems. A new law called the Tariff of 1846 made it harder for American iron companies to compete. Also, part of the Mount Savage Railroad flooded. Because of these issues, the company couldn't pay back some of its loans.

Later in 1847, a group of investors from New York City bought the company. The most famous of these investors was Erastus Corning. They renamed the company the Mount Savage Iron Company. With new money, they made the factory even bigger. By the 1850s, more than 900 people worked there. The Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad became another important customer for their iron products.

Decline and Closure

As time went on, the Mount Savage Iron Works faced more competition. Other factories in Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region started finding better kinds of iron ore in the 1850s. This made it harder for Mount Savage to compete.

In 1864, the Consolidation Coal Company bought the facilities. The rolling mill was closed down in 1868. It was taken apart completely in 1875. The blast furnaces stopped working around 1870. This marked the end of the Mount Savage Iron Works.