Forest Dale Iron Furnace

Forest Dale Iron Furnace is a stone and brick blast furnace that rises 18 meters high with three arched openings at its base. Its roughly 10-meter-square base forms the centerpiece of a historic production site.

The furnace was built in 1810 and operated until 1855 using iron ore from nearby deposits. During this time it was the center of an important local industry that produced items for everyday use and farming.

The furnace shows how iron production shaped the region during the 1800s and what role industrial craftsmanship played in the local community. The remains help visitors understand how physically demanding work and manufacturing were central to life back then.

The site is located east of Forest Dale village along Vermont Route 73, marked by a historical marker. The grounds are mostly level and grassy, making them easy to walk across and explore.

The grounds contain traces of work areas and production remains that show how iron making actually happened in the 1800s. These archaeological clues reveal details about old techniques that visitors cannot see in the structure itself.