Iron Mining Relic
These ruins from Sterling Ironworks are at Sterling Forest State Park in Tuxedo Park, NY. The original ironworks at Sterling Lake in southeastern New York was started in 1736 by Cornelius Board and Timothy Ward and the remains of their bold facility remain to this day. The works wouldn't really come into their own until 1770 when, under new owner Peter Townsend (the son-in-law of one of the Nobles' partners), a second, much larger, furnace was constructed. The ironworks' most famous commission would come in the winter of 1778. Approached by Captain Thomas Machin, the engineer in charge of the Americans' defense of the Hudson River during the Revolution, Townsend was asked if he would be willing to produce a chain that would stretch across the Hudson from West Point to Constitution Island. A staunch patriot, Townsend wanted to help, but the Continental Army already owed him a great deal of money for artillery and other equipment he had been producing. He was also losing his workers to militia recruitment. Machin and Townsend were able to strike a deal, which included exemptions for the workers it would take to forge the chain, and the ironworks went into overdrive in February, 1778. Running 24-hours-a-day the 770-link chain, each link weighing around 140 pounds, would be produced in just six weeks, a testament to the dedication and efficiency of the operation.
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