Where is katahdin iron works

Smoke poured from this charcoal kiln and many other s like it. Mule, oxen or horse-drawn wagons rattled by constantly carrying ore, pig iron or wood. Such sights and sounds must have seemed out of place in the Maine wilderness. Yet it was the wilderness, with its ready supplies of iron ore, fuel wood and water power that brought the iron works industry to this site.

Katahdin Iron Works operated here for a total of about 25 years between and Although isolated, it was tied closely to outside markets and technological advances in the iron industry. Its beginnings, for example, paralleled a growing demand for iron farm tools, machinery and railroad car wheels. In the end, the iron works failed when huge mill in Pennsylvania brought the nation's new age of steel.

The heart of the Katahdin Iron Works was its blast furnace where intense heat separated iron from other materials in the ore. Workers pouted ore, limestone flux and charcoal into the top of the furnace. The charcoal was then ignited from the bottom and the mixture was heated to high temperatures by a blast of air circulated through the base of the furnace. As the iron melted, it dripped into a crucible, which held about two tons of liquid.

When the crucible was filled, workers broke a clay plug in the tap hole. The liquid ran down a long trench onto the sand floor of the casting room and flowed into shorter trenches. Here, the molten iron cooled into pig iron ingots, each weighing about 80 pounds. In the 's when production was at a high, tons of pig iron were produced daily. Katahdin Iron works once had 16 charcoal kilns like the one remaining today.

These kilns each burned 50 cords of wood which took 6 days to burn and 10 days to cool at a time and produced charcoal vital in fueling the blast furnace. Cutting and hauling wood to burn in these kilns was a major activity and employed hundreds of men. One winter, when the iron works was at the height of its operation, men, using horses and oxen, cut and hauled 20, cords of wood, a year's supply for the kilns. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Post comment. Because of the slippery rocks, I would highly recommend a walking stick or hiking poles and water shoes — my daughter crossed in bare feet but it did not look pleasant. The depth of the water varies from season to season and in dangerous conditions, there are other ways to hike the trail without crossing the river.

After the river crossing, you are on the Appalachian Trail. I was impressed with all those hikers who had walked perhaps since Georgia. Follow those white blazes, through The Hermitage lots of huge, old white pine trees and hemlocks and continue to the Rim Trail, where you say goodbye to the folks who are walking the Mile Wilderness of the AT and you follow the blue blazes instead.

See map here. In total, with all the small side trails to viewpoints, it is about 9 miles and there is an option to make a smaller loop, if you take the Appalachian Trail cutoff. Several people were jumping into the water at Screw Auger Falls and it was the busiest spot along the walk. Everyone in our party seemed to be allergic to big groups of people Husband mumbled something about Disneyland and so we moved along.

The hike does not include significant elevation and it is well marked. There are some little scrambles over rocks that a well-placed hiking pole or a tree branch would help with, but otherwise it is what I would call moderate. We took plenty of breaks to relax and snack, and completed it in about 6 hours. The trail has plenty of quiet, scenic areas to stop and sit and rest and stick your feet in the water while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

My group had a couple of stoves and made sophisticated camping meals and hot tea. The JetBoil camping stove continues to impress in its efficiency. We took the Pleasant River Tote Trail back and it was scenic in its own right — meandering woodland paths — quiet, green and easy. The walk back was much faster than the hike along the Rim Trail and the river crossing that you complete again to get back to the parking lot was refreshing on tired feet. For post-hike refreshment, we enjoyed the cool river by the campsite, grilled hamburgers and beer and wine, and watching kingfishers and small, fast-moving ducks move by.

A Katahdin benchmark is imprinted in the bar, as well. The now-famous Bissell Brothers beers are all available on tap, and delicious food is also available for purchase outside.