A Brief History of the Site
The region in which modern-day
Saugus lies was occupied before European settlement by the Pawtucket people. By
the time the iron works was established, the Pawtucket had suffered heavy
losses from the introduction of European diseases and inter-tribal conflicts,
and many assimilated into Colonial culture as their communities broke up due to
European disruptions to Pawtucket populations, crops, hunting, and fishing. The
community in the vicinity of the iron works was led, at the time, by a woman
known as Great Squaw Sachem, one of at least five women leaders in the
Pawtucket territory. Before her death, she had sold all her people's land but a
small parcel near the Mystic Lakes, which went to a Puritan upon her passing.
The Saugus Iron Works employed at least two Pawtucket men, called Thomas and
Anthony, as woodcutters.
As for the settlers, the Puritans
established the Massachusetts Bay Colony under Governor John Winthrop in 1630.
The colony allowed only male members of the Puritan Church to vote or own land,
and was run on strict religious laws. Women could not participate in
government, but were allowed to work as schoolteachers, midwives, and
"physicars" (essentially nurses). Men worked primarily as farmers,
tradesmen, or merchants. The Governor's son, John Winthrop the Younger,
promoted the establishment of the iron works for the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
which was co-owned by several wealthy Puritans and worked part-time by farmers
for extra money. Skilled iron workers were brought from England. As these
workers were non-Puritan, they were excluded from land ownership or participation
in government; conflicts naturally arose regarding religion, law, and behavior
within the community. Captive Scottish soldiers defeated in the Battle of
Dunbar in 1650, were imprisoned or exiled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Some
of the latter were sold as indentured servants to the iron works as
woodcutters, colliers, and laborers and placed in company housing. Though
utilized as unskilled laborers, some learned trades such as blacksmithing and
carpentry from other workers during their indenture. As these skilled workers
and their families spread out to other parts of Colonial America, they
established new centers for industry and technology, creating new jobs and
opportunities in the New World.
The property encompassed by the Iron
Works today also includes a separate blacksmith's shop owned by an individual,
Joseph Jenks, established in 1646. Jenks registered the first machine patent in
Colonial America.
Preservation and Reconstruction
The oldest remaining building from
the original Saugus Iron Works, the Iron Works House (built circa 1680) was
purchased in 1915 by photographer Wallace Nutting, who restored the building at
the urging of William Sumner Appleton. Appleton founded the organization which
became Historic New England, and had a family connection to the Iron Works.
Local residents, particularly women (including the local chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution), advocated for historic preservation of
the site, and formed the First Iron Works Association to organize their
efforts. After fundraising efforts led, in part, by Louise Hawkes, the Town of
Saugus purchased the property in 1944. Archaeological excavations funded by the
American Iron and Steel Institute during the 1940s-50s, under the supervision
of Roland W. Robbins. Archaeological findings were incorporated into the
reconstruction process, and artifacts displayed in the museum. Opened to the
public in the early 1950s, the site was added to the National Parks System in
1968.
The Saugus Iron Works Today
Today, the Saugus Iron Works
consists of features including a visitor's center with tours; a museum focused
on archaeology, ecology and industrial development, and the history of the
area's Native Americans and the Massachusetts Bay Colony; the Iron Works House,
which can be toured; the blast furnace with its original 17th century water
wheel; the forge, with an original anvil base and hammer; a 17th-century herb
garden; the rolling and slitting mill; a blacksmith shop with live
demonstrations; a warehouse and dock; and a nature trail along the Saugus
River. The park around the site contains more than 200 plant species and 74
bird, 11 mammal, 4 reptile and amphibian, and 11 fish species.
