Burden Iron Works
Burden Iron Works is a large factory complex in Troy that spreads across land along the Hudson River and Wynantskill Creek. The site had two main sections with blast furnaces, forges, warehouses, and a massive waterwheel that powered the machinery and produced thousands of horseshoes daily.
The complex began in the 1850s under Henry Burden, a Scottish engineer who developed innovative machinery. It became a major center for iron processing in the region and played a key role in Troy's rise as a significant industrial hub during the 1800s.
The site reflects the importance of ironworking in Troy's development and identity. It was a major center for metalcraft and manufacturing that shaped how the city saw itself as a place of industry and skilled labor.
The site now hosts a museum housed in a Romanesque brick building where you can learn about Troy's industrial history. The grounds offer pathways to explore and show the physical remains of old machines and structures from different eras of the factory's operation.
The famous waterwheel built in 1851 was the most powerful vertical waterwheel ever constructed and may have inspired George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., who later invented the Ferris wheel. The monument was so remarkable that a local poet called it 'the Niagara of waterwheels'.
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