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Central Presbyterian Church

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Minnesota, Ramsey County, Saint Paul


has been placed on the National
Register of Historic Places as a
National Historic Landmark
by the United States Department of Interior
Heritage Preservation Service

Founded February 21, 1852
First Pastor Rev. John G. Riheldaffer

Cornerstone Laid October 3, 1889
Architect Warren H. Hayes

(Churches, Etc. • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Brig Gen Leonard Covington

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Maryland, Prince Georges County, Aquasco
Brig Gen
Leonard Covington
1768-1813
War of 1812 hero born at nearby Covington
Farm, Aquasco. Covington served in the
Maryland Senate (1802, 1807-1809) and U.S.
House of Representatives (1805-1807). Mortally
wounded on November 11, 1813, at the Battle of
Crysler's Farm, Ontario, he is buried ar Sackets
Harbor, New York. Over twenty-one American
cities, towns and counties are named for
Covington including Fort Covington, Baltimore,
which protected the flank of Fort McHenry.

(Patriots & Patriotism • Politics • War of 1812) Includes location, directions, GPS coordinates, map.

In Memory of Those Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice

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New York, Saint Lawrence County, Massena
In memory of
those who made the supreme sacrifice
while serving in the Armed Forces
of the United States of America
World War I
[ten names listed]
World War II
[58 names listed]
[left plaque]
Korea [eight names listed]

[right plaque]
Vietnam [four names listed]

(War, Korean • War, Vietnam • War, World I • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

St. Lawrence River and Massena

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New York, Saint Lawrence County, Massena
The St. Lawrence River from earliest times has provided a direct route for travel and transportation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. After the Revolution much of the land in northern New York came into the hands of Alexander Macomb and other speculators, so that settlement began slowly. Settlers attracted by mineral springs in 1798 founded Massena, named for one of Napoleon's generals.

During the War of 1812 and the Canadian Patriot War of 1837-39, the region was the scene of military action and cross-border raids. In recent times international cooperation has brought about the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project, opened in 1959. Greatly altering the appearance of the area, these have also created new facilities for transportation and recreation.

Extensive pasture lands make the region ideal for dairy farming. Iron, zinc, talc and lead mines yield significant industrial products. The presence of water power later converted to electrical energy, has stimulated diverse industries. Among these were paper making and, after 1897, the manufacture of aluminum.

(Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • War of 1812 • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Caroline Courthouse-In the Shadow of Justice

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Maryland, Caroline County, Denton
Many facets of 19th century rural life focused on a county’s courthouse. Elected officials, lawyers, merchants, and ordinary citizens all had reasons to gather at the Caroline County Courthouse Square. For the enslaved and abolitionists, the square possessed a more sinister purpose.

Conducted in the shadow of the courthouse—the symbolic center of government and justice—local slave auction exhibited the inhumanity and raw, lucrative economics of the antebellum slave trade. The county jail also held abolitionists like Hugh Haziett, accused of aiding the runaways he tried to guide to freedom.

Above: As the time of their intended escape drew nearer, their anxiety grew more and more intense, their food was prepared and their clothing packed. Douglass had forged their passes. Early in the morning they went into the fields to work. At mid-day they were all called off the field, only to discover that they had been betrayed.

Right: Hammatt Billings depicted a slave auction to illustrate Harriet Beecher Stowe’s abolitionist book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

(Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Moses and the Hounds

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Maryland, Caroline County, Denton
Growing up as a slave near Easton, MD, Moses Viney often heard, “The wild geese come from Canada, where all are free.“ When he was 23 years old, Moses learned he might be sold to a new owner in the Deep South. To avoid this fate, he and two friends escaped on Easter morning in April 1840. They swore they would make it to Canada or die trying.

Upon reaching the Choptank River, the trio attempted to cross a bridge near here. But the plantation’s hounds were hot on their trail, trapping the men on the west (opposite) bank. Fortunately, Moses had anticipated this happening. Months before leaving, he had fed those dogs well and treated them kindly. When they charged at him, Moses greeted the pack and ordered them home. The hounds recognized their friend and obediently turned back. The three men then found a canoe, fashioned fence rails into oars, and safely crossed the river. They continued on to Philadelphia, where Moses received help from Rev. Alexander Wayman, an Underground Railroad agent and former Caroline County resident. He eventually reached upstate New York, where he lived out his days as a free man.

Denton’s waterfront is one of the historic sites along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. Explore this 125-mile road and follow Tubman and others in their quests for freedom. Learn more about the byway at www.HarrietTubmanByway.com Freedom-Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

(Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Choptank River Heritage Center-Steal Away by River

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Maryland, Caroline County, Denton
The Choptank River was as entwined with the history of slavery and freedom on the Eastern Shore as any plantation. Slaves arrived by boat for auction and left the dock in the hands of a new owner. At wharves like this, black watermen played an important role in freedom’s network, bringing news, passing gossip, and occasionally whispering advice about the prospects for escape.

A river crossing was always dangerous for fleeing slaves. Few could swim, and currents were strong. Bridges were tempting but usually tended. Dogs and slave catchers could corner escapees at the water’s edge. Freedom seekers often improved plans to steal away by water.

After abolitionist Hugh Haziett’s arrest for helping slaves escape, he was taken from Caroline County jail to trial down river in Cambridge, where and angry mob greeted his arrival.

RIGHT: Moses Viney used two fence posts for oars and rowed a stolen canoe to freedom. He successfully reached Schenectady, NY, where he worked for Union College and owned several buildings downtown.

(Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area

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New York, Saint Lawrence County, Louisville
This Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 3,400 acre multi-use area where the habitat is managed to provide food and shelter for dabbling and diving ducks, Canada geese and other waterbirds, as well as upland game birds and mammals. While much of the area is designated as a "Refuge" and is therefore off limits to public access, there are opportunities here for hunting, trapping, birdwatching, photography and nature study in designated areas. Specific regulations apply to all activities, so be sure to check before entering the area.

The Lower Saint Lawrence River
The stretch of the St. Lawrence River from Morristown to Massena contains a variety of upland and wetlands habitats that shelter a high diversity of bird species. The quality of this habitat is especially evident during the spring and fall when the river and its adjoining wetland habitats serve as staging areas for a wide variety of waterfowl and other birds.

Due to its importance in safeguarding and enhancing bird populations, this area has been designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, respectively.

The Lower St. Lawrence Important Bird Area (IBA)
Stretching from Morristown to the Moses-Saunders Dam, a distance of approximately 50 miles, the Lower St. Lawrence River IBA encompasses a range of wetland and upland habitats.

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Wingspan-80". Many eagles winter along the river near Ogdensburg.
Common Merganser, Mergus merganser, Wingspan-34". Up to 10,000 winter near Long Sault Dam.
Bank Swallow, Riparia riparia, Wingspan-13". One of the largest colonies in the world is located near Sparrowhawk Point, 3,000 pairs.
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, Wingspan-60"
Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, Wingspan-30".
American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus, Wingspan-42".

The WMA was acquired by the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) for the St. Lawrence FDR Power Project in the early 1950s. Following that, it as developed under cooperative agreement between NYPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)(then called the Conservation Department), primarily for waterfowl habitat enhancement. Under this agreement NYPA holds title to the land, while DEC is charged with managing it for fish and wildlife. This cooperative agreement between NYPA and DEC is still in effect.

These three species of duck are taken by hunters in the greatest numbers.
Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca, Wingspan-23"
Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, Wingspan-35".
Ring-necked Duck, Aythya collaris, Wingspan-25".

The Annual Wilson Hill Goose Drive
Every summer DEC wildlife staff teams up with sportsmen and women and local residents to conduct a goose drive at the Wilson Hill WMA. The purpose is to gather biological data on resident Canada Geese. It is also an opportunity to promote communications regarding the conservation and management of waterfowl and to foster community relations. More than 1,000 geese are rounded up each year. As many as 200 people help in the effort, both in canoes and on land, to herd the molting birds into a corral where they can be captured, banded and released. The information obtained helps track the movements of these geese, providing data that is used in management practices.

Recreation opportunities related to wildlife are abundant and varied along the Seaway Trail.

Seaway Trail, Inc., Corner Ray & West Main St., Sackets Harbor, NY 13685. 1-800-SEAWAY-T. America's Byways. This exhibit made possible by a grant from FHWA to Seaway Trail, Inc.

(Animals • Environment) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Dead Man's Pass

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Texas, Val Verde County, Comstock
This narrow canyon marks a remote and perilous section of a road traveled from San Antonio to El Paso and on to California following the Gold Rush of the 1840s. Adding to the hardships of a journey that took several weeks, this particular area was notorious for wild animal attacks and raids by Native Americans and highwaymen. Also known as Dead Man's Run, the feature was named by 1849; an ambush on a Dr. Lyon's wagon train that year ended with two teamsters and an unknown number of Indians dead. In 1850, a group met a similar fate when they turned back from Beaver Lake (25 mi. N) and passed through here en route to San Antonio for supplies. Four teamsters were killed in the encounter.

The U.S. Army attempted to protect travelers on the hazardous road. When forts Clark (60 mi. SE) and Inge (90 mi. SE) proved to be too remote, the army established Camp Hudson on the Devils River 10 miles north of here in 1857. However, dangerous conditions continued for many years. In A Texas Pioneer, freighter August Santleben (1845-1911) enumerated several dozen civilians and soldiers killed along the trail, including five members of the Amlung family and seven others who perished here one day in 1858. The pass was considered dangerous as late as the early 1880s. Santleben chronicled several deaths in the area over a 40-year period, totaling nearly 400 in southwest Texas.

Two similar topographic names nearby recall the risks of 19th century travel. Dead Man's Creek rises two miles southwest of this site and flows southeast to the Devils River, while Dead Man's Canyon begins a mile to the northeast and runs west to the Pecos. This path that later became a stage route to Ozona and then State Highway 163 is today remembered as a treacherous frontier road.

(Native Americans • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Comstock

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Texas, Val Verde County, Comstock
In the early 1880s, Comstock developed as a station on the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio railway because of the natural lake and water supply. The former townsite of Soto or Sotol City was replaced with Comstock, named after John B. Comstock, a railroad dispatcher. The community quickly grew and boasted a variety of establishments. The town was a key element in the wool and lamb industry and served as a temporary home to several Texas Rangers. After World War II and advances in technology, the population declined. Comstock is an example of the influence of small communities that led to the development of larger commercial cities. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011

(Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Site of Camp Hudson

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Texas, Val Verde County, near Juno
Established by the United States Army, June 7, 1857, as a means of protecting the road from San Antonio to El Paso against hostile Indians. Named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Walter W. Hudson who died April 19, 1850, of wounds received in action with Indians in Texas. Evacuated by Federal troops March 17, 1861 but reoccupied after the Civil War. Abandoned in April 1868.

(Forts, Castles • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Hood's Devils River Fight

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Texas, Val Verde County, near Juno
The men of Company G, a small unit of the U.S. 2nd Cavalry, left Fort Mason on July 5, 1857, under the command of Lt. John Bell Hood (1831-1879), in pursuit of Comanche Indians in the vicinity. Traveling northwest, they discovered a fresh Indian trail leading southward toward Mexico. Crossing bluffs near the Devils River on July 20, the men encountered an Indian camp on a ridge about two miles from the stream, marked by a while flat. Suspecting an ambush, Hood proceeded cautiously toward the ridge.

A small band of Indians advanced to meet Hood’s party. Then, throwing down the flag to signal their concealed allies, a group of close to 100 Comanches and Lipan Apaches attached. Outnumbered, and hampered by brush fires set by Indian women, the soldiers were forced into fierce hand-to-hand combat. Outflanked by a force at least three times his number and hemmed in by a wall of fire and smoke to his front, all that Hood could hope for was that superior marksmanship and discipline would prove to be the decisive elements in the fight. The company fell back to reload its weapons, only to hear the loud cries of Comanche women through the smoke and dust, indicating an Indian retreat.

Two cavalrymen, William Barry and Thomas Ryan, were killed, and five others, including Hood, were wounded. A relief unit from Camp Hudson (20 mi. S) arrived the following day, rendering medical aid and helping to bury the dead. Pvt. Ryan was buried at the site, and Pvt. Barry’s body was never found. Later reports revealed that nineteen Indians were killed, and many more wounded. Hood and his men were later cited for valor in army reports. During the Civil War, Hood became a general in the Confederate States Army.

(Native Americans • War, US Civil • Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Site of Comstock-Ozona Stage Stand

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Texas, Crockett County, near Ozona
Flagstone ruins nearby mark site of early 1900's stage stand, first stop on passenger and mail line connecting Ozona with Southern Pacific railhead at Comstock—80 miles distant.

When stage pulled in about 8:30 A.M. (having left Ozona at 5:00) agent had fresh horses in harness for next 20-mile run.

Agent's family lived in tent with a flagstone floor. Other structures here were rock pens for a pig and cow and probably a corral for horses. Automobile replaced stage about 1914, but wagon ruts are still visible.

(Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Old Government Road

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Texas, Crockett County, Sheffield
Route of march and troop supply on Texas frontier. Followed in part pre-Columbian Indian trails and "Old Chihuahua Trail" that ran from San Antonio to El Paso and Mexico. In 1840s this was extended to Gulf Coast Port of Indianola where imported goods arrived from the United States and Europe, and were freighted out to be exchanged in Chihuahua for ore of silver and gold, leather goods, and other products.

In 1848 water holes and camp sites were marked as this road was re-charted for use of U.S. troops sent to protect Texas frontiers from Indian invasions. Army posts were built along this road: Fort Clark, between San Antonio and Del Rio, 1852; Fort Davis, in the Davis Mountains, 1854; Camp Lancaster, at this site, became Fort Lancaster in 1856. Camp Hudson and Fort Stockton were founded in 1857 and 1859. With all the army traffic, trail won new name of "Government Road."

Pioneer settlers, adventurers, California-bound gold seekers—even camel trains in government service—traveled this road in spite of frequent encounters with Comanches, Apaches, Kiowas, and other Indians. The Army finally stationed troops in continuous picket line from San Antonio to El Paso. However, it was not until 1870 that relatively safe passage was assured.

(Forts, Castles • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Ruins of Fort Lancaster

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Texas, Crockett County, near Sheffield
Established in 1855 by the United States Government as a protection to travelers and mail on the overland route from San Antonio to San Diego. Abandoned in 1861. Reoccupied in 1868 for a short time.

(Forts, Castles • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Temple B'Nai Israel

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Mississippi, Adams County, Natchez

Jewish Americans have been part of Mississippi’s economic, social and political life since the 1780’s. In 1843, the Jewish community of Natchez grew large enough to organize and sustain the state’s first permanent religious congregation, Temple B’Nai Israel (Children of Israel). In 1867 the congregation purchased property on Washington and Commerce streets, building its permanent synagogue in 1872. Temple B’Nai Israel became a charter member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873. The original building burned in 1903. The present structure was quickly built in 1905 with financial support from both the Jewish and Christian communities of Natchez.

(Churches, Etc. • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.

Commercial Bank Building

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Mississippi, Adams County, Natchez

Built ca. 1836, this structure, a National Historic Landmark, is a fine example of the Greek Revival style. A Banker’s House attached to the rear insured security & gives the structure an unusual and practical plan.

(Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

West Front Street

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New Jersey, Mercer County, Trenton
Surprising as it may seem, you are standing on the line of a historic street that as various times was bordered by mills, row homes and businesses. For more than a hundred years, from the early 1790s until Mahlon Stacy Park was established in the 1910s, West Front Street extended west through the Old Barracks, across Petty's Run, to Delaware Street, another street that has vanished and which ran along the east side of the State House between West State Street and the river bank. The Old Barracks, split in two throughout this period, was made whole again in 1915 when the park was created. The passage of West Front Street, coursing through the former British military facility can be seen in the telltale vertical seams in the masonry on the rear of the building.

Extending Front Street
Prior to the American Revolution, Petty's Run served as a barrier to the westward expansion of the town of Trenton. Front Street, also known in the colonial era as Water, Lower and High Street, terminated at West Street (later known as South Willow Street; today's Barrack Street).
The creation of the segment of West Front Street between Barrack Street and the State House is a story of republican triumph over colonial dominion. In 1792-93, in a symbolic burst of New Jerseyan spirit, the street was carried through the Old Barracks and across a recently constructed stone bridge to the State House lot where a new seat of state government was being installed. The bridge is still there today, buried deep beneath the landscaping fill of Mahlon Stacy Park.

New Mills Arise
From 1814 until the mid-1870s, the section of West Front Street between the Old Barracks and the State House was dominated by water-powered industry. A short-lived cotton mill operated on the north side of the street on the eastern bank of Petty's Run, but had failed by 1820. This was succeeded by the West Front Street Paper Mill, established in 1827 by Garrett D. Wall and in business for almost a half century.

On the south side of the street, the main activity centered on the processing of lumber brought into town along the Trenton Water Power. The Water Power, completed in the mid-1830s, provided energy first to a sawmill, then to a carpenter's shop and finally to a bow factory (where the sawing, planing and bending of wood products took place).

Residential Redevelopment
In 1857, the Old Barracks became a home for the poor widows and single women of Trenton. Women had to be over the age of 50 and pay a $40 lifetime admission fee to move into one of the rooms once occupied by soldiers. In the late 1870s and 1880s, West Front Street underwent a residential make-over, which must have made the environment more comfortable for the widows. Except for the bow factory and a couple of well-placed stores, the blocks lying north oand south of West Front became entirely residential with nearby West State Street boasting several well-appointed homes, mostly occupied by professionals.

The Front Street Paper Mill was pulled down in 1876-77 and replaced by a series of brick row homes, transforming the block into working-class neighborhood with families of English, Irish, German and Russian extraction supported by a variety of livelihoods. Among the residents in 1900 were father a son blacksmiths, two janitors, a painter, a teamster and a tailor. Between 1911 and 1913, after barely a generation of existence, the neighborhood vanished without a trace, making way for Mahlon Stacy Park.

Photo at top right
West Front Street looking northwest from South Willow Street (Barrack Street); the stone building is the officers' quarters of the Old Barracks, prior to being made whole again in 1915; behind it is the Kelsey Building, now part of Thomas Edison State College. Circa 1911 (Old Barracks Association).

Center Photo
North side of West Front Street looking east; the home in the left foreground is 124 West Front Street; the three-story building in the middle distance is the western end of the north section of the Old Barracks. Circa 1910 (Trentoniana Collection, Trenton Public Library).

Photo bottom right
West Front Street looking west from South Willow Street (Barrack Street); the building in the right foreground is the officers' quarters of the Old Barracks; the New Jersey State House is in the distance. Circa 1911-13 (Old Barracks Association).

(Notable Places) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Trenton Steel Works

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New Jersey, Mercer County, Trenton

Making steel in the 18th century was a challenge, especially in America. Steel was essential for making edge tools, such as axes and scythes, and other items like bayonets, knives and the mechanisms for guns and clocks; yet the science of making steel was poorly understood. Most steel used in the American colonies was imported from England. Only a few Americans attempted to make steel, often with little success. The Trenton Steel Works, located at this site, was a rare example of colonial American steel manufacturing. From the late 1740s to the mid-1780s, the furnace produced steel of variable and sometimes questionable quality at irregular intervals.

Making Steel by the Cementation Process
The Trenton Steel Works employed a cementation furnace. The brick-lined furnace enclosed a chest in which lengths of bar iron were layered and packed with powdered charcoal and capped with sand. A fire was then lit beneath the chest, gradually heating the furnace to between 1560°F and 1830°F. The hot gases from the fire circulated around the chest, heading the iron and charcoal, and then passing up a flue and out a stack.

Inside the cementation chest, the red-hot bar iron absorbed carbon from the charcoal. Once the furnace reached the desired temperature, the fire had to be tended night and day to maintain the necessary. After five days or more, the converted iron was removed.

The product of the cementation furnace was called "blister" steel, so called because of its raised blistery appearance. Blister steel fresh from the furnace as of no use: it had to be hot worked and reduced in sections by forging under a water-powered hammer, then rolled into bars that could be sold to artisans who made tools and machines.

The Trenton steel furnace may have been similar to this example recorded in Sheffield in the mid-1760s. A. Furnace wall, B. Fire Chest, C. Cementation Chest, D. Hot Gas Chamber, E. Chamber Arch, F. Flue, G. Stack (G. Jars, Voyages Metallurgiques, 1774).

The Furnace House and Base
The cementation furnace was contained within a building that measured 31 feet by at least 36 feet, roughly matching the dimensions of the "house" given in a sale advertisement of 1765. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the outer walls of the furnace house, standing in places up to two feet high and composed of locally quarried rock.

In the northeast corner of the furnace house was discovered the stone and brick base of the furnace itself. Walls of mortared stone linked the furnace base to the north wall of the furnace house. These most likely buttressed the furnace structure, offsetting the risk of collapse from repeated firings. Compared to examples found in England, the furnace was rather small, measuring only 10.5 feet by 9 feet in plan. The Trenton furnace is thought to have resembled a type of single-chest furnace documented by French metallurgist Gabriel Jars in Sheffield, England in 1765-66.

Archaeologists found no steel on the site. This was too precious a commodity not to have made its way to market. Furnace brick was recovered in abundance, along with pieces of the cast-iron furnace grate that would have covered the ash pit at the base of the structure.

The furnace house probable resembled the structure shown in this sketch of the Blackhall Mill furnace in Derwent Valley, England, produced in the 1750s (R.R. Angerstein's Illustrated Travel Diary, 1753-1755).

Trenton Steel in the Colonial Period
The first steel furnace was erected at this site by Trenton blacksmith Benjamin Yard sometime between 1745 and 1750. It was one of only five steel works in the American colonies in this latter year, when the British parliament inventoried the American iron and steel industry, seeking to control its growth and protect English metalworking interests.

Yard and subsequent owners received their bar iron from the furnaces and forges of northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Andover iron was especially well suited to steel manufacture. The bars were shipped down the Delaware in Durham boats and offloaded at the falls just a few hundred feet from the steel works site. The manufactured steel was then transported to Philadelphia and other eastern seaboard markets, by boat or by wagon.

In 1762, Yard sold the furnace to a pair of young Philadelphia Quaker merchants, Timothy Marlack and Owen Biddle. Both Matlack and Biddle are best known for their support of the American Revolution. Matlack, as Secretary to the Continental Congress, inscribed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that is on display at the Nation Archives. Biddle, a trained clockmaker and founding member of the American Philosophical Society, would have had an appreciation of the use of steel in precision instruments.

In 1770, John Pemberton, another Philadelphia Quaker merchant, acquired a half share in the steel works and retained his brother-in-law, John Zane, a member of a well-known Pennsylvania iron-making family, to run the works. Zane sold steel behind Pemberton's back, ran up debts and eventually disappeared, turning up a few years later in the Caribbean as a penniless carpenter. During this period, despite being claimed as "quite equal if not better in quality than what is imported from England," Trenton steel was of questionable caliber and sold with some difficulty.

Trenton Steel During the War Years
During the American Revolution, the Trenton Steel Works operated intermittently. In March 1776, a half ton of Trenton steel was supplied to the Continental Army in Albany. The furnace may have been damaged in the fall of 1777 at the same time that American troops rendered the nearby plating mill inoperable in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the British.

In July 1781, following Trenton merchant Stacy Potts's successful attempt to revive the furnace, the Trenton firm of Potts & Downing secured a contract with the U.S. government to convert Andover iron into steel. Potts & Downing failed to deliver fully on this contract, and by 1783 were in debt to one of their main suppliers of bar iron. The furnace managed to stay in operation through at least mid-1783, but several years of legal wrangling led to Stacy Potts losing most of his assets and moving west to Harrisburg to start a new life.

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

1873 Blizzard

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Minnesota, Kandiyohi County, near Blomkist
The morning of January 7, 1873, was mild and pleasant enough to encourage many farmers to make trips to town or to work in their woodlots. Shortly after 2 p.m. a howling blizzard of snow, driven by a 70-mph northwest wind broke the calm. The storm, which lasted for several days, was so intense that drivers were unable to see the oxen or teams pulling their sleds. John, Charles and Stephen O'Neill and Thomas and Michael Holden, en route from Olivia to Willmar, were at this spot when they were forced to stop, because of the blinding blizzard. Only Michael Holden survived. Claud and Jorgen Strand perished in Whitefield Township, while returning to their home with a load of wood. Lars Nelson died later, a victim of exposure. The bodies of Ole K. Spau, Margaret Soland and Heige Stengrimson were all found in Norway Lake Township, where they died trying to make their way to their homes. William C. Crump died in Roseville Township after he had become lost during the storm. Twelve persons perished in Kandiyohi County during the blizzard of 1873. This marker stands where John, Charles and Stephen O'Neill and Thomas Holden died.

This project has been financed in part with funds provided by
the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and
Cultural Heritage Fund and the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.


(Notable Events) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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