Falling Creek Ironworks was the first

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

production facility in North America. It was established by the

Virginia Company of London The London Company, officially known as the Virginia Company of London, was a division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for colonizing the east coast of North America between latitudes 34° and 41° N. History Origins The territor ...

Henrico Cittie The City of Henrico (also known as Henrico) is one of the oldest counties in the Colony of Virginia. It was one of four incorporations established in the colony by its proprietor, the Virginia Company. The City of Henrico, which included the settle ...

(sic) on Falling Creek near its confluence with the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. It was short-lived due to an attack by Native Americans in 1622. The long-lost site was rediscovered in the early 21st century. It is now located in Chesterfield County, about south of the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

of the James River at present-day

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Archaeological and related research work at the site was ongoing as of March 2007.

Geography

The

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

of Virginia's terrain changes from the sandy

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Coa ...

of the Tidewater Region to the more hilly and rocky Piedmont Region along the north-south

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

. At Richmond, the generally west to east flowing James River turns almost due south and essentially flows parallel to and just east of the fall line for about , before turning east again near Drewry's Bluff. On the west bank of this section, the Piedmont terrain contained the

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...

deposits needed to make iron, but was still adjacent to the navigable portion of the James River through the Tidewater Region. A local tributary, Falling Creek, flowed downhill into the James River, providing the water power needed.

History

Background

The proprietary

established the first permanent English settlement in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

at Jamestown on May 14, 1607. The young colony struggled for years to develop self-sufficiency and successful exports. During the first five years, most of the colonists died from disease, starvation, and attacks by the Native Americans. After 1612, non-native strains of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

were used as a

cash crop A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...

, and

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s and other outposts from Jamestown spread downstream and up the James River toward the

head of navigation The head of navigation is the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. Determining the head of navigation can be subjective on many streams, as the point may vary greatly with the size or the draft of the ship be ...

(fall line) at present-day

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

First ironworks

Near the confluence of Falling Creek with the James River, the colonists identified the site with the combination of

deposits, water power, and access to navigable waters for shipping which were needed for their desired

production facility. Although the outpost was one of the most remote from Jamestown, beginning in 1619, the Falling Creek Ironworks was established there. It was the first iron production facility in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Records which have survived indicate that the ironworks was able to produce some quantity of iron. However, from the extant records, it cannot be determined whether the ironworks had begun full production before operations were interrupted by the

Indian Massacre of 1622 The Indian massacre of 1622, popularly known as the Jamestown massacre, took place in the English Colony of Virginia, in what is now the United States, on 22 March 1622. John Smith, though he had not been in Virginia since 1609 and was not an ey ...

. On March 22, 1622, the

Powhatan Confederacy The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...

of Native Americans tribes under the leadership of Chief Opechancanough conducted a series of coordinated surprise attacks on almost all the English settlements along the James River. Jamestown was spared only due to a timely warning. The massacre resulted in the death of about a third of the colonists. Two women and three children were among the 27 killed at Falling Creek Ironworks, leaving only two colonists alive, and the facilities were destroyed. Sir

Thomas Dale Sir Thomas Dale ( 1570 − 19 August 1619) was an English naval commander and deputy-governor of the Virginia Colony in 1611 and from 1614 to 1616. Governor Dale is best remembered for the energy and the extreme rigour of his administration in ...

's progressive development a few miles downstream at

Henricus The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestow ...

was evacuated as a result.

Subsequent history

On July 21, 1646 George Ludlowe Esqr received in York Co, that was adjacent to the Falling Creek Mill lands which was in part granted to Martin Baker (Martin Fouquet) as ''Yorke Plantation'' by purchase from George Mosso, esquire (''esquiem''). And which was mortgaged together with an additional by Sir John Harve (

John Harvey (Virginia governor) Sir John Harvey (died 1646) was a Crown Governor of Virginia. He was appointed to the position on 26 March 1628 by Charles I of England. In 1635 he was suspended and impeached by the Council of Virginia (who named John West as a temporary replac ...

) ''as well as'' to pay transportation costs for 2 persons (Jean du Fer and his brother Francois, two surviving children of the 1622 massacre) ''as well as'' to pay for transportation for 15 persons (mill workers): Philip Bowden (Philip Bourdain), John Nerve (Jean Nervais), Henry Davis, John Bernberry (Jean Banbury/VanBerry), Nicholos Iego (Nicholas Legos), Bassett Sax (Basset d'Sais), Richard Oxon (Richard d'Hausson/Dawson), Thomas Bacock (Thomas Picot), Mary Fitch, John Fleet (Jean van Fleet), and John Mission (Jean Monceaux/Muscheon), Sara Spittlewood, Richard Colins, Thomas Lewis, John Gerford (Gifford) and William Benton, Robert Caldwell. From 1750 until 1781, Archibald Cary operated a forge there, until it was destroyed, by

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Later attempts to restore the ironworks were unsuccessful, and the exact site itself eventually became lost.

Rediscovery, ongoing work

The exact site of the Falling Creek Ironworks was unknown until relatively recently. According to an article in the Richmond ''Times-Dispatch'' newspaper on January 20, 2007, the heavy rains in the late summer of 2006 apparently eroded the creek bank and uncovered timbers of the furnace which were part of the structure. Early in 2007, a Chesterfield County Department of Utilities employee, who is also an amateur

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, spotted them. According to the article, "The rest of the furnace is believed to be buried in the creek bank." The location of the ironworks has long been suspected. A number of limited

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

excavations and surveys were conducted by the Archaeological Society of Virginia, The

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, Browning and Associates, LTD., and others. The location of the

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...

was only confirmed in 1999 when Archaeo-Physics, LLC (working with Browning and Associates) did a comprehensive geophysical survey. A large magnetic anomaly consistent with the fired hearth of a blast furnace was located. In addition a number of other features were identified (probably buildings related to either the Falling Creek Ironworks or Archibald Cary's 1750-81 Forge)

References

External links

Falling Creek Ironworks, Chesterfield County, VirginiaVillage News article: Uncovered:The Falling Creek Ironworks location and age is confirmed after the creek bank is eroded
*[https://archive.today/20121011060654/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/88511130/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 ''Geophysical survey of Falling Creek Ironworks:An Early 17th century industrial site, Chesterfield County, Virginia''], Archaeological Prospection, Volume 8 Issue 4, Pages 247 - 256
''Chesterfield County'', The Iron Furnaces of Virginia''Site of First Iron Foundry in America'', HMdb.org
* Charles E. Hatch Jr., and Thurlow Gates Gregory, "The First American Blast Furnace, 1619–1622," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (July 1962): 259–97. * Records of the Virginia Company of London. * John S. Salmon, "Ironworks on the Frontier: Virginia's Iron Industry, 1607–1783," Virginia Cavalcade (Spring 1986): 184–91. * Cavaliers and Pioneers. Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants,1623-1666, Vol. I" {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Colony of Virginia Protected areas of Chesterfield County, Virginia

Archaeological sites in Virginia This is a listing of sites of archaeological interest in the state of Virginia, in the United States. {{Commons cat, Archaeological sites in Virginia Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlant ...

Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Industrial buildings and structures in Virginia James River (Virginia) Ironworks in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Chesterfield County, Virginia 1619 establishments in Virginia American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places