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Resume of The Kent Industry By William Trapp Hopson
(reprinted from The Lure of the Litchfield Hills Magazine,
1945/46)
The lure of the Litchfield County hills asserted its influence
from the beginning of time. In our knowledge, this sentiment
prevailed in 1738-1740 when the first settlers took up land
grants in Kent and Cornwall. There was no cleared land at
that time and heavy timber grew down from the hill tops to
the river's edge. Only men as hardy and rough as the scenery
of this section of the State could overlook the obstacles
to be surmounted before a house and sustenance could be taken
from the ground. Men who could at the same time visualize
the glorious beauty of the hills, valleys, rocks, rills, lakes
and streams that abounded in such varied arrangement. From
this nucleus of men of strong character and untiring energy
have descended those rugged individuals who have established
the foundation and then developed the State of Connecticut.
Our forefathers scratched the surface of the ground as they
cleared it; raised vegetables and crops by main strength and
barehanded; raised sheep and cattle for food and clothing;
and from primitive log cabin to house man and beast through
winters of intense cold and deep snow went on through progressive
steps into substantial houses and barns built from timber
and impelled by the necessity of having strong tools for daily
use, they dug beneath the surface of the ground until they
found rich deposits of iron ore and ledges of pure limestone
all about them and with an incalculable supply of wood for
making charcoal, established a source of wealth and independence
through the mining and smelting of iron not enjoyed to the
same extent elsewhere in the State.
According to Atwater's history of Kent, the Kent ore bed
was opened and operated by New Milford men as early as 1736.
Tradition has it that a forge for reducing the ore to iron
was set up and operated by these men in Merryall evidently
of small capacity. It is probable that when Kent Furnace was
built that the Kent ore bed was acquired by Stuart Hopson
and Company, composed of John L. Stuart, John Hopson, Burritt
Eaton and Luther Eaton. In a later reorganization in '64 by
the Kent Iron Company, other stockholders were added probably
to supply increased working capital. These were James Pierce
of Cornwall, Donald J. Warner of Salisbury, George Church
of Great Barrington and John and George Coffin of Vanduesenville,
all men of high repute and considerable wealth. George R.
Bull and John Roberts were probably added as stockholders
at this time.
[Editorial Note: The above paragraph is incorrect. The
Kent orebed had been taken over from Obadiah Wheeler of New
Milford in 1736 by a group of investors: Alexander Woolcott
of New Haven, Robert Walker and Daivd Lewis of Stratford,
Elisha Williams of Yale, Jabez Hurd of Newtown and Jared Elliott
of Killingly. Wheeler had owned and apparently worked the
bed for a number of years. The officers and owners of Stuart,
Hopson and Eaton as the first Flanders Company was known,
later as the Kent Iron Company, were James L. Stuart, John
Hopson, Burritt Eaton and Luther Eaton.
The Kent Iron Company did not own the orebed until 1854
when it bought the shares of the heirs of Samuel Forbes and
John Adam of New Canaan. The strip mine had run out at that
time and the Kent owners put in shafts for deep mining primarily
to supply the Kent Furnace.]
The furnace at Bulls Bridge was built the same year as the
Kent furnace (1826) and did a thriving business through the
Civil War, but folded up soon after '65 due perhaps to the
fact that it was not located on the railroad which was built
through Kent and through the Kent furnace property about 1845.
Up to that time both furnaces shipped their product by team
to Poughkeepsie and thence by boat. Bulls Bridge furnace evidently
brought ore from Clove, just west of Pawling and from Quaker
Hill just east of Pawling, on their teams' return from Poughkeepsie.
Charcoal iron made in the Housatonic Valley was the main source
of the iron supply of the country for pig iron, wrought iron
and steel up to about 1840 and there were at one time twenty-seven
furnaces in operation in this section.
The quality of ore taken from Kent ore beds and melted in
the Kent furnace was unsurpassed by any other found in this
region, though all of the Salisbury ores and those from Amenia
mines and Richmond, Massachusetts mines also stood very high.
Kent ore ran close to 60% iron which was exceptionally high.
At first only five or six tons of iron were cast per day but
by rebuilding the stack twice, once in 1844 and again in 1864
the output increased to 10 tons per day and finally to 14
tons per day. After the demands of the Civil War were over
the product of the furnace went to such substantial customers
as the Rhode Island Locomotive Works, the Schenectady Locomotive
Works, Builders Iron Foundry, Harris-Corliss Engine Company,
Ramapo Iron Works, makers of engines and pumps in New Jersey
and Farrell Foundry Company in Ansonia. These companies required
the very best material for their product and evidently secured
what they wanted from Kent Iron Company. To appreciate the
value of our local iron industry, we should consider that
iron when melted into pigs contains other ingredients than
pure iron, some of which add to its values if found in reasonable
quantities, and there are other ingredients that detract from
the value if they exist in any great amount. Manganese adds
immensely to the value of the metal, increasing its strength
and tenacity. Slight traces of manganese in the lime used
went into the iron during the melting process. Carbon increases
the strength of the iron and closes the grain, making the
metal difficult to work if found above 3%. Higher content
of the carbon makes the metal suitable for steel if the pigs
of iron are remelted and treated in a puddling furnace or
by modern Bessemer furnaces, wherein "Spiegeleisen," a rich
iron found in Norway and Sweden, is often added to produce
high grade of steel. Wrought iron and steel from this process
is forged into shapes suitable for building and other domestic
purposes for which pig iron is unsuitable. Pig iron with low
carbon is known as "white iron." Silicon softens the iron
making it suitable for general foundry purposes but should
not exceed 2-1/2 to 3%. Sulphur and phosphorous in excess
of 1% lowers the value of cast iron through brittleness in
castings made from it. Kent iron was free from excess of any
of these ingredients and could be used to build up a mixture
with iron of lower grade or with heavy scrap iron, and its
judicious use in this maneuver would produce any grade of
casting required, giving a wide range of strength and tenacity
as its use might indicate. Kent iron was graded No. 1, very
soft, to No. 6, very hard, and only suitable for producing
great strength in casting made from it.
Kent Ore Mine was dug into the side of a mountain east of
the highway which runs from South Kent over the mountain to
the "Cobble." Entrance to the mine was kept on a level or
slight upgrade from the highway into the hill until an excavation
was made 600 feet to 800 feet in diameter and 150 feet high
against the hill. These seams of iron ran out about 1850 and
a deep shaft was dug with galleries led off and worked as
iron was found. There were several levels opened and worked
with radial galleries in all directions from the shaft. All
ore and much of the refuse had to be hoisted to the top of
the shaft, and pumps were kept running to free the mine of
water which continually seeped through the ground. At its
best this mine turned out 15 to 20 tons of ore per day and
this was carted to the furnace six miles via South Kent. Teams
went over the mountain to the mine as that route was a third
shorter, but the grade most of the way was at least 30%. Ten
to twelve teams were then employed making two trips per day,
leaving the furnace barn by 6:00 a.m. and returning at 6:00
p.m., bringing in about 1-1/2 tons of ore per trip. On arrival
at the "bank" each load was weighed and dumped near the furnace.
Large chunks of ore were separated from small pieces and in
the early days were broken up with sledge and hand power.
In later years a crusher was used for breaking up ore and
lime.
With the advent of the railroad, with a switch to the furnace,
other ores were brought in from Salisbury, Connecticut, Amenia,
New York and Richmond, N.Y., the latter being close to the
terminal of the Housatonic Railroad at State line. These ores
probably cost Kent Iron Company less than their own ore from
Kent ore bed, but the mixture employed produced first class
iron.
The stack in which the ore was melted was approximately
25 feet high from its bottom and where the melted iron was
drawn off to the charging floor where charcoal, lime and ore
were dumped in at about half hourly intervals or less. This
necessitated building the stack on a side hill affording two
levels, the lower for the casting house which covered about
100 feet by 250 feet and the upper level for a charging floor
of about the same area, but the upper level led out to the
"bank" and covered about two acres of ground. All materials
for the furnace came to the "bank" for immediate use or temporary
disposition. There were six to eight loosely built structures
for housing charcoal for storage against weather and they
were usually filled during the summer weather as little or
no wood used was "coaled" during the winter, during which
season the wood for coal must be cut while free from sap.
The stack was approximately six feet in diameter at the bottom
and four feet at the charging floor. "Haswell" tells us that
138 bushels of charcoal, 432 lbs. of lime and 2612 lbs. of
ore melted in the stack should produce a ton of iron, but
this depends somewhat on the quality of the ore, lime and
charcoal use, also on the blast of air supplied to maintain
perfect combustion. "Haswell" again says that for a stack
of our capacity, 14 tons per day, approximately 5200 cubic
feet of air should be supplied per minute at about 5 to 6
inches of mercury pressure.
Coal, lime and ore were loaded into special two wheel dump
carts in the top house each holding the proper amount for
a charge, and were dumped into the stack as previous charges
settled down. Charcoal carts held about forty bushels, and
ore and lime carts in a proportion of 125 lbs. of lime and
750 lbs. of ore, charges being made half hourly. The bottom
of the stack and immediate sides were lined with heavy granite
blocks of stone on which melted iron accumulated for six to
eight hours at a time, at which intervals the iron was drawn
off through an opening above the "hearth" temporarily stopped
with fire clay baked in. The "tapping" was done with a long
iron bar and the iron ran out through a trough in the dirt
floor to a bed formed out of a fine grade of sand found in
places along the river. This bed was made with long strips
of wood extending from the furnace to the end of the casting
house, tamped firmly in sand moistened to hold their shape
and then removed. This long strip was called the "sow" and
lateral branches about 3 feet long were taken off the side
of the "sow" and for obvious reasons were called pigs. As
soon as the iron cooled sufficiently the sows and pigs were
broken up into short lengths pulled out on the casting house
floor and carted out in ox teams to be piled along the railroad
ready to ship, carefully sorting and making each grade by
itself. A by-product of no value was produced in melting the
iron and this was known as "slag" which floated above the
iron in the stack, being much lighter, and its flow was constant,
running out from the stack onto the casting house floor where
it cooled rapidly, was broken up and carted out to be dumped
on waste piles about the furnace. Two ox teams and men with
two wheel dump carts were in constant daily use, removing
iron and slag from the casting house. Incidentally slag made
excellent road beds and was applied to considerable extent
on the nearby highways. The stack above the hearth was lined
with fire brick, much better heat resistant than the stone
with which the stack was built. The stone hearth, although
two feet or more thick, and the fire brick lining had to be
replaced about every two years, during which period of a month
or two the furnaces stood idle. Cast iron melts at 2450 degrees
and the temperature in the bottom of the stack was probably
3000 degrees or more and neither stone nor brick, with erosions
due to the melting process, could stand these high temperatures
for any length of time.
The air supply was created by a water wheel about 12 feet
in diameter and 10 or 12 feet wide. Water came to this wheel
from the dam in the river a short distance away, through a
flume which delivered the water against the "breast" of the
wheel at half its height. The weight of the water in the buckets
of the wheel turned it down and the water was released at
the bottom and returned to the river nearby. A long beam attached
to a crank on either side of the wheel drove a piston back
and forth in two large wooden cylinders one on either side
of the wheel, all built of wood but the piston was undoubtedly
covered with leather making it a tight fit. A large metal
air duct connected the cylinders with an oven built above
the Top House floor and charging space in the stack. The oven
was built of brick 20 feet or more high and square, the air
passing through U-shaped cast iron pipes assembled in the
oven. The heated air was then led down to the bottom of the
stack and was blown into the stack just above the hearth,
through four small openings. All these openings had to be
protected by coils of one-inch pipe bent into cone shape,
through which water pumped to the furnace from the same cranks
as furnished air, and the waste water ran back to the river.
There is a phase of this wheel and water operation that is
little understood by most people, but was a constant menace
to furnace operation in cold weather. The "flume" is about
16 feet wide and 6 feet deep, with only a slight current towards
the wheel house. At certain stages of the winter when the
ground gets very cold a "mushy" ice will form on the sides
and bottom of the flume. This is called "anchor ice" and is
literally half frozen ice, which detaches from the ground
under water and floats to the top. Should this occur in great
quantity the flume next to the wheel and the wheel buckets
might become a frozen mass of ice in which case the wheel
would stop turning and no air would be supplied to the furnace.
In order to avoid the stoppage of melting in the furnace for
lack of air, "blank" charges of charcoal are dumped into the
stack omitting lime and ore so that all melted material can
be drawn off before complete stoppage occurs. This same course
is followed whenever it is found necessary to stop the furnace
for any reason.
The "bank" was the dumping ground for loads of charcoal,
ore and limestone coming daily except in winter at the rate
of 40 to 50 loads per day. Charcoal was brought to the bank
in the wagons built especially for the purpose which would
hold 120 to 140 bushels of charcoal. The bottoms of these
wagons were made of wood slats 8 or 10 in number running the
entire length of the wagon. The team drawing the wagon was
taken off the front end, pulled out the slats one at a time
and by the time the last slat was out in less than ten minutes,
the entire load was on the ground. The Bank Superintendent
and Teamster then appraised the contents of the load and the
amount agreed upon between them was credited to the Teamster
and to the Collier. Charcoal was made on all the mountains
around Kent even to Warren and Merryall on the east side of
the river and all over the Dover Mountains and Nodine Hollow
on the west. The best charcoal is made from the harder woods,
hickory, oak, maple and beech, but as chestnut prevailed on
these mountains at that time, chestnut wood was chiefly used.
The wood cut in traditional four foot lengths was staked up
endwise in a closely assembled conical shape on a pit prepared
for the purpose at ground level. Size of a cone ready to "coal"
was about 20 feet in diameter and 12 feet high.
Air passages were constructed all through the bottom of the
cone with a vent at the top, and the entire cone was tightly
covered with sod in order to keep drafts of air from burning
the wood instead of "charring" it. This was carefully watched
during a month or more until the charring process was completed,
when the sod was removed, any fire was put out and the "coal"
was ready for delivery at the furnace. Great care was taken
in handling charcoal to prevent undue breakage, small pieces
would be worthless. The Colliers who were specialists in making
charcoal were nearly all foreigners who learned their trade
across the water before coming here. Four names occur to the
writer, Beauchetti, Pleasants, Xavier, Cribley, and there
were others. A few natives made charcoal on their own land
and delivered it at the furnace. These Colliers constructed
log cabins to live in while "on the job" and they lived principally
on salt pork, beans and potatoes, probably with an occasional
deer or other game.
Mt. Algo and the Dover Mountain was especially infested with
rattlesnakes, so that "medicine" had to be kept on hand with
the natural result that snake bites were frequently anticipated
by several days. On the whole, however, these men and their
crews were competent and reliable and eventually made good
citizens. [The "medicine" was a shot of whiskey, and the men
would help themselves, using the excuse that they might get
bitten soon.]
Limestone was to be had near the furnace, and was broken
out easily in small pieces and delivered into the top house
and loaded into two wheel carts ready for the stack. Ore and
lime were both weighted for each charge proportioned to the
cart of charcoal.
A Grist mill and a Blacksmith shop were both necessary adjuncts
of furnace operation. About fifty acres of land adjoining
the furnace were cultivated to produce hay, oats, corn and
rye with which the twenty or more teams of horses and oxen
could be fed. Other grain was brought in by car loads. A special
feed for the animals was prepared in the mill of mixed corn
and oats roughly ground. Hay was cut into small lengths by
a hand machine and a ration of hay, corn and oats, well moistened
was made up fresh for each feeding. Wheat and rye flour was
ground fine and bolted in the mill. Grain was brought in by
local farmers who paid in tolls for the accommodation. The
mill also ground plaster from limestone, for use on some farmland,
by the furnace and local farmers, as fertilizer.
The mill was built over the flume which carried water to
the wheelhouse for air supply to the furnace and used the
same water supply in turbine wheels. The mill equipment was
first class for those days and was always maintained in good
order with daily operation, to the benefit of the community.
A blacksmith was in constant demand to keep the horses and
oxen properly shod, and to make and repair all tools for furnace
and farming use. The Blacksmith had to be an expert in his
line, and was one, except when certain lapses occurred in
mental and moral activity.
There was at one time a third furnace in Kent situated on
Macedonia Brook about one fourth mile above the bridge over
the brook leading up to Fuller and Skiff Mountains. This furnace
was probably owned and managed by Charles Edwards of Kent.
Mr. William K. Stone, an old and prominent resident of Kent,
is authority for the statement that he remembers this furnace
in operation, when a small boy, with a man named John Wilson
as agent.
The counting house and scales used by the furnace were located
on the site now occupied as a home by John Peters, also an
old time resident. Macedonia Brook is formed by the union
of Nodine Hollow Brook and an outlet from what was known in
those days as Fuller Pond. There was a dam at the outlet of
the pond with a gate to control the outflow of water to Macedonia
Brook. It would appear therefore that the water power available
from the brook was limited, and that the output from the furnace
was small.
This furnace brought ore from Salisbury, Sharon, Amenia
and Kent ore bed. A peculiarity mentioned in Atwater's History,
is that no limestone was found west of the Housatonic River
for this furnace, and that it had to be carted over from Kent.
Charcoal was made for this furnace, probably, in Nodine Hollow
and iron was undoubtedly sent to Poughkeepsie as did the other
Kent furnaces. There was, however, a Puddling furnace on this
same brook, situated just below the turn of the highway north
at what might be termed Peters Corner, situated on the Ross
property. [It was located south of the highway on the brook
below Peters Corner.] It is stated that this Puddling furnace
was operated and owned by Charles Edwards of Kent, possibly
by others, which led the writer to assume as stated above
that Mr. Edwards was no doubt interested in the iron furnace
further up the brook, as they were close to each other, used
the same water power and the output of the furnace undoubtedly
was a feeder for the Puddling furnace.
A Puddling furnace is a much smaller structure than a furnace
which transforms iron ore into pigs, and is in fact, a refinery
for remelting pigs of iron cast in a furnace. The furnace
is built of iron sides, top, and ends, approximately six feet
wide, six feet high and twelve feet long, lined with refractory
brick calculated to withstand very high temperatures. Fuel
(charcoal) was fed into one end with a bridge wall a short
distance from the firing door, and the far end was contracted
to about two feet in width, from which a chimney took off
gas and fumes and the bottom of the chimney let out accumulation
of slag.
The process of Puddling consisted of stirring up the melted
mass of pig iron with iron bars, and hooks, much as a woman
might stir up a pudding. A strong blast of air, very much
more in amount and pressure than a furnace requires, was continually
brought into the puddling process with the melted iron for
the purpose of removing all impurities and undesirable elements
in the iron and especially carbon.
If this refining process is thoroughly carried out, the
character of the metal is entirely changed and becomes wrought
iron, which can be, and is, pounded by heavy drop hammers
or squeezed to force out slag or other undesirable ingredients
and then passed several times through rolls while still hot.
The result of the process produces wrought iron shaped into
bars or rods of different sizes, wagon tires or structural
shapes.
Our early supply of nails was made from this product and
are found today in any old house built 150 years ago. The
operation of a puddling furnace, therefore, was a most useful
and valuable adjunct to a pig iron furnace, as it produced
a metal that could be used where cast iron was unsuitable.
Unfortunately, the Puddling furnace, with its buildings, was
destroyed by fire in the 1830s and was not rebuilt, probably
due to the limited amount of power from the brook and the
small output from a plant which involved a considerable amount
of expensive machinery. This must have been a distinctive
loss to the community, as it meant that pig iron from Kent
furnaces must be refined elsewhere and brought back again,
in many useful shapes.
The Puddling furnace was operated by Eber Peters, grandfather
of the present John Peters, now living alongside the brook
as above referred to. Eber Peters came to this section from
Albany (Eber Peters came from Petersville in Warren in 1830.
He had been active in an Ironworks on the Shepaug River in
that area formerly owned by his father), and besides operating
the Puddling furnace, had in operation on the site, well known
to most of us, a saw and shingle mill, as well as a cider
mill, just at the turn of the road, north. Mr. John Peters,
son of Eber Peters, carried on these same industries, except
the Puddling furnace, as long as he lived.
Personnel of the furnace has not especially been referred
to. They are entitled to comment as being responsible for
efficient service in their respective positions. From the
beginning of Stuart Hopson Company, to the final blast of
the furnace under the Kent Iron Company, the direction and
management of all operations was in the hands of John Hopson,
who was Treasurer and Executive Director of the Corporation.
John Hopson, Jr., for a term of years was in charge of the
office, but withdrew about 1880, to found and manage a business
of his own. George R. Bull, then took over the office management
as Secretary of the Company.
John Hopson, Sr., had learned the details of making iron
the hard way, without the assistance of chemical or mechanical
engineering assistance. He knew most of the answers, and worked
out those he did not know. He was a driver, but of himself
first and always, and he had the faculty of selecting and
keeping men employed in the various branches of the work who
knew what was expected of them and who had intuitively that
degree of loyalty and cooperation that made them key men for
dependence and reliability.
James Barker was an outstanding example. A big strong, healthy
individual who watched carefully the quality of ore, lime
and charcoal from which high grade iron was expected, the
operation of the water wheel, the careful grading of the iron
produced and the oversight of the men in the casting house
and top house all came under his jurisdiction. He probably
missed but few occasions of tapping the stack for each casting.
In later years his son, Walter, equally efficient and reliable,
succeeded him.
"Hank" Waldron was equally as good a man in charge of the
men and operations on the "Bank." He had charge of all material
arriving at the bank and saw to it that the several kinds
and quantities were ready at all times for delivery at the
stack. There were 20 to 25 men with horse and ox teams under
this direction engaged in steady routine in supplying the
furnace. Even the men in common labor were especially selected
as dependable in knowing what to do and when to do it without
let up and in all weather.
There were three Johnsons, "Pedlar," who brought back a crooked
leg from the Civil War, a teamster, also Dwight and Fred in
various capacities. There were other Waldrons besides "Hank,"
but not related. There were Bartons without limit, farmers
and teamsters. Elmer, Thompson, Charles, Egbert, and Joseph.
John Barton, a son of Elmer, was at one time a clerk in the
furnace store and so was tied up with the industry.
John Barton was for many years a civil service agent of the
Federal Government, and delivered mail R.F.D. from the Kent
office, an honest and faithful executive who retired only
a few years since due to age restrictions, and still living
in Kent to the writer's last knowledge.
There were Charlie Drake and David Gambon in charge of the
top house except on the 4th of July and such occasions when
temporary substitutes might be required. There were at least
eight to ten cottages near the bank occupied for the most
part by operators who might be on night shifts or for emergencies.
These families had gardens of their own, most of them raised
a pig each year and some of them kept a cow. There was Alfred
Limeburg, for many years the miller, succeeded later by his
son, Edward, who had, up to his father's retirement been a
teamster. The last miller was a Mr. Benedict, a fine character
and competent millwright as well as miller. A daughter of
Mr. Benedict married George R. Bull and their descendants
are still living in Kent. The furnace store was owned and
operated by George R. Bull and John Roberts. All kinds of
merchandise and supplies were kept at the store and sold to
employees of the Furnace and Colleries. Though other people
traded at the store and employees could trade at Kent stores
if they preferred to do so, there were no restrictions, but
employees could and did secure credit at the furnace store
if circumstances required it.
The Kent Ore Mine was first operated by a man brought over
from New York State by the New Milford owners, moreover he
was a "Count" from some foreign country. Stuart Hopson & Co.
had a man named Hart, from a fine Cornwall family, in charge
of the mine and shaft about 300 feet in depth and ran out
laterally to find ore deposits. Branch was a very competent
miner and a good manager of men. He probably had twenty or
more men under him. The success of the mining and furnace
operations were due to a great extent to the fidelity and
efficient service of these men in various positions.
The making of pig iron was not so simple as might appear
on the surface. Constant watchfulness and good judgment in
emergencies was required, and in view of the reputation of
the Company through a long term of years, it is apparent that
skill and initiative were not lacking. But there came a day
when reckoning with economics could not be put off.
Volume of Pennsylvania and southern irons had grown enormously,
dwarfing the output of charcoal iron furnaces into a fraction
of the total iron output of the country. Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Alabama and Lake Superior ores are found in prodigious seams
almost on top of the ground, and can be dug out and handled
largely by machinery. All but Superior ores are near bituminous
coal fields where coal can be "coked" in kilns of concrete
and brick that can be used repeatedly. In manpower coke costs
less than charcoal, takes up less room and will melt faster,
without adding much if any carbon to the iron. Charcoal iron
was probably selling at that time at about $40.00 per ton,
while southern iron could be bought for $20.00. Southern and
Pennsylvania iron could be built up by judicious mixture with
machinery scrap, broken car wheel scrap, steel scrap, and
spiegeleisen to meet any requirements met by charcoal iron
up to that time, so the handwriting was on the wall and could
be readily interpreted.
In consequence, one after another Housatonic Valley Furnace
"blowed out" for good. Ashes of the old furnace fires and
of the men who dug the ore and tended these fires are now
at rest in the hills and valleys that they exploited so successfully
and creditably for 150 years. There are still, however, a
few descendants of these pioneers who recall with pride their
characteristics and experiences handed down by succeeding
generations, hence these reminiscences.
The review of the Kent Iron Industry may also be of interest
to those of the present generation who are or will be working
out gainful undertakings in other new and important fields
of industry or action. They may profit by the struggle of
past generations, and the appreciation of those qualities
that led to their success, integrity, thrift, and endurance
under difficulties. This paper is reminiscent rather than
historical. The writer has made use of data found in the historical
records of Atwater, Bolles, and Miss Newton, and in confirming
their statements, which the writer believes are quite correct,
he acknowledges with great appreciation their interest in
the subject. The writer has added some details that he hopes
will be of interest to appreciative readers.
The Lure of the Litchfield Hills, December 1945, Vol.
VII, No. 4. The Lure of the Litchfield Hills, June 1946, Vol.
IX, No. 1.
Also see:
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