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Iron Plantations in Jersey

One of the earliest industries in New Jersey was the colonial iron works. Although the production of iron was prohibited under the British economic system of mercantilism, it existed in many areas of New Jersey. Many of the local blacksmiths, needing a source of pig iron, located sources of either iron ore or bog iron in their respective areas of the state. They built smelters, many quite small and quite crude, so they could produce the iron necessary to support the needs of their customers. During the Revolutionary War, these furnaces or mines provided the iron that was used for ammunition, pots and pans, tools, and other needs of the troops and the civilian population. Because bog iron was a renewable resource, the furnaces and forges of New Jersey continued to produce pig iron until shortly before the Civil War. The discovery of anthracite coal in eastern Pennsylvania, and its proximity to the nearby iron ore mines, changed the location and process of producing iron.

Iron production existed in areas where there was iron-rich water in bogs, huge forests for making charcoal which acted as fuel, and clam and oyster shells that provided lime. Bog iron deposits are created from the interaction of decaying vegetation and iron rich clays found in the streams and bogs of the Pinelands Bog iron takes about 20 years to form through the chemical process and therefore is a renewable resource. Bog iron was removed from streams and rivers after the chemical process naturally draws it up to the surface. It was removed from the banks of the slow moving streams by people on long wooden sleds using a spade. It was then taken to the furnaces for smelting. In colonial times, smelters could be found in many sizes.

Some smelters were quite small and were constructed in pits while others were 20 to 30 feet tall. In either case, there was a ramp that leads to the upper parts of the furnace or chimney and a hole through which the ingredients could be poured. There were holes along the sides so air could enter to aid combustion. At the bottom was a spout through which the molten iron could be drawn off to flow along the floor. It flowed into shallow areas previously dug into the floor. The molten ore flowed into these depressions and when they cooled were referred to as "Pigs." The resulting "Pig" was suitable for cast iron, but if a higher quality iron was needed, it was heated and pounded by a hammer mill until the carbon balance was attained that made it pliable to be used by a blacksmith. The processing of bog iron and the making of pig iron was important in the Pinelands from the 1760's to just before the Civil War. Because of the need for labor to work at the smelters and to perform other tasks, towns grew around the sources of bog iron. Some of these communities like Allaire and Batsto became major "iron plantations."

[Acknowledgments] - [N.J. Core Content Curriculum Standards For Social Studies ]