Appomattox Iron Works

In the 1870s, Esek Steere moved from Oswego County, New York, to Petersburg, Virginia, to establish an iron foundry that would serve the area's thriving agriculture.  His small foundry and machine shop opened across the street from its present location. In 1899, Steere and his son, Albert, purchased more spacious properties across the street to house the ironworks. They specialized in manufacturing sawmill and farm machinery, plows, and hand tools. The family also received patents for peanut harvesting machines in 1913 and 1934, which were manufactured at the Appomattox Iron Works and sold throughout the South. A 1958 newspaper article highlighting the Appomattox Iron Works noted the business "never missed a payroll" even in hard times and advertised "stove-castings, hand irons, cemetery vases, skillets, fireplace ovens, and dumbbells" in its storefront window.¹

The nine buildings of the Appomattox Iron Works consist of a machine shop, mill store, supply room, pipe shop, the carpenter's shop and pattern shop, core room, foundry building, blacksmith's shop, and ruins of a stable.² According to the National Register nomination, these structures provide "an outstanding record of antebellum iron manufacturing in the South."³ 

The foundry, in a large brick building from 1850, was where workers extracted raw metals and formed them into something new. Although non-ferrous metals like brass could be melted in an indoor furnace, iron smelting took place in a coke-fueled cupola outdoors, due to the high level of heat released in the smelting process. Neighboring buildings, such as the blacksmith shop, helped customize and finish metal products, or ensured that the machines, equipment, and processes were running smoothly.⁴  

The most eye-catching structure may be the machine shop, which still bears the faded painted sign on its brick facade. Built in 1815, it was both a commercial building and a residence. Interestingly, however, it is not built in the usual way. While it was common for residents to live on the floor above the shop, the Appomattox machine shop residents lived in apartments attached to the rear of the building. On the street side, the first floor contained machines to drill, press, grind, and shape materials from the foundry, while the upper two floors contained offices and storage. The machine shop is also a notable example of Federal architecture used in an early American commercial property. It is square and symmetrical, with tall, double-hung windows topped with a wooden cornice.⁵  

The Appomattox Iron Works remained in the Steere family for multiple generations, which contributed to its preservation. It is now part of the Old Towne Historic District in Petersburg and sits among a variety of commercial buildings. The company records of the Appomattox Iron Works are held by the Library of Virginia in Richmond.⁶