Ironville Historic District

Ironville Historic District is an industrial settlement in Crown Point with 12 buildings spread across 73 acres, including wooden houses, a church built in 1842, and a grange hall. The structures are arranged along Furnace Street and represent the residential and communal spaces of a 19th-century worker community.

The area developed around iron works operations in the 1820s, and the Penfield Homestead was built in 1828 as the settlement grew. These structures housed both the industrialists who ran the works and the laborers they employed.

The Penfield Homestead Museum displays household items and furnishings from the early industrial period with Federal-style architectural details. The collection shows how the wealthier residents of this worker community lived and what they valued in their homes.

The district spreads along Furnace Street and can be explored on foot, with buildings visible from the road. Access to the Penfield Homestead Museum provides a closer look at interior spaces and artifacts.

This site was where the first successful application of electricity in American industry took place. Thomas Davenport constructed an early electric motor here in 1833, proving that the technology could actually work in a real industrial setting.

Location: New York

GPS coordinates: 43.92139,-73.53528

Latest update: December 14, 2025 12:26