iron pour
FREDERICK, Md. (PRWEB) April 29, 2022
The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. will present the fourth annual Maryland Iron Festival during the weekend of May 21 and 22, 2022 in partnership with Cunningham Falls State Park, Catoctin Mountain Park, Harriet Chapel, Frederick County Public Libraries and Visit Frederick.
Families and festival attendees of all ages will enjoy blacksmithing, a live iron pour, log hewing, woodturning, and casting demonstrations; ranger-led tours in Catoctin Mountain Park; tours of historic Harriet Chapel, “Feats of Strength” games and challenges; an artist and maker market; children’s activities; activities from the Frederick County Public Libraries; Scales & Tales birds of prey program; an interactive display from Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Historical Society and more! The Museum of the Ironworker, featuring our new forensic facial reconstructions, will be open.
The event will feature live music. Saturday’s lineup includes The Caswells at 1pm, Jubilee Voices at 2pm, The Jimmy Loco Duo from 11-2pm, and Bluegrass by the Furnace from 2-4pm. Sunday’s offerings include Slim Harrison at 12:00 and 3pm, The Jimmy Loco Duo from 11-1pm, Americana Music with Henry Koretzky and Kevin Neidig from 1-4pm, and Van Wagner at 1 and 3pm.
Food trucks including Sauced Savage BBQ, Fryzaholic, Yume Teriyaki Grill, and Snowball Waterfalls will be onsite over the weekend. A bake sale with homemade delicious treats from heirloom recipes will be set up both days. A wine and beer garden will be open on the Furnace green near the ruins.
Festival visitors can also enjoy a hike along the Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery Interpretive Trail, which links the furnace to the historic village with a trail extension into Cunningham Falls State Park and visits to Catoctin Furnace’s historic kitchen and pollinator gardens.
Catoctin Furnace was built by workers owned or employed by the four Johnson brothers in order to produce iron from the rich deposits of iron ore found in the nearby mountains. At least 271 enslaved people of African ancestry made up the bulk of Catoctin Furnace’s earliest workers. In the decade before the Civil War, European immigrants began replacing the enslaved and freed African American workers as it was more economical to hire cheap labor than support an enslaved workforce. Descendants of the immigrants still live in the village.
The iron furnace at Catoctin played a pivotal role during the industrial revolution in the young United States. The furnace industry supported a thriving community, and company houses were established alongside the furnace stack. Throughout the nineteenth century, the furnace produced iron for household and industrial products. After more than one hundred years of operation, the Catoctin Furnace ceased production in 1903.
In 1973, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc., was formed by G. Eugene Anderson, Clement E. Gardiner, J. Franklin Mentzer, and Earl M. Shankle to “foster and promote the restoration of the Catoctin Furnace Historic District…and to maintain the same exclusively for educational and scientific purposes…to exhibit to coming generations our heritage of the past.”
Today, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. is undertaking groundbreaking research, including bioarchaeological research of the African American cemetery in Catoctin Furnace. In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and the Reich Laboratory for Medical and Population Genetics at Harvard University, this project is analyzing ancient DNA and the human genome of revolutionary-era enslaved African American workers at Catoctin Furnace. Such research, in conjunction with other technologies such as stable isotope analysis, could tell us where these workers were born, where they lived throughout their lives, and what constituted their diet. We believe that every life mattered, and every past matters now. By studying and disseminating the results of this research, we hope that people everywhere will get to meet some of these early workers and understand the critical roles they played in the development of our young nation, as well as appreciate the varied trajectories of their lives.
An important part of the historical society’s preservation work are its seasonal festival and heritage tourism holiday events. This year we are hosting:
Fall Fest – October 7 & 8: Spend a day celebrating autumn in historic Catoctin Furnace at our Annual Fallfest! Watch apple butter boiling over an open fire and purchase a pint fresh from the kettle. Free Admission.
Spirits of the Furnace – October 15: “Spirits of the Furnace” is a guided night tour through the historic Catoctin Iron Furnace and Village, with stops in historic structures and along the landscape. Refreshments will be served. Visitors are encouraged to bring a flashlight and wear shoes appropriate for walking on uneven terrain. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under.
Traditional Village Christmas – December 3: Decorate a fresh wreath with bows, bells, ornaments and pinecones! Enjoy hot cider, homemade soup, and delicious baked goods. Shop for wonderful locally made crafts, jewelry, and art. Kids activities and a special visit from Belsnickel! Free.
****Events may be shifted to virtual format if local health conditions warrant. Please call or check our website to confirm all events.
Mark your calendar now for the fifth annual Maryland Iron Festival in 2023. On Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, we will be sharing the rich history of ironmaking within the historic village and buildings, in Cunningham Falls State Park, and throughout Catoctin Mountain Park.
Special thank you to event sponsors: First Energy, Visit Frederick, and Woodsboro Bank.
The event is free but donations are welcome. All proceeds will be used for the ongoing restoration of the historic village structures, a critical need. For more information contact [email protected].
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