1. Saugus Iron Works: Life and Work at an Early American Industrial Site. Teaching with Historic Places.
- Author
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National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, DC. National Register of Historic Places. and Whitman, Maryann
- Abstract
In 1948 archeologists verified that a now overgrown and urbanized landscape along the Saugus River (Massachusetts) was the site of the Saugus Iron Works from 1646 until 1648. That discovery led to a careful, though partly conjectural, reconstruction of the first successful integrated ironmaking plant in the colonial America. The early Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony needed an ironmaking factory to make tools and utensils for house building. Ironmasters recruited skilled and unskilled workers from the ironmaking regions in England. The reconstruction of the Saugus Iron Works helps people imagine the daily life of these early European settlers. This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, and primary documents from archives at the site. The lesson can be used in teaching units on the life and culture of the colonial United States, archeology, settlements and use of the land, or the history of technology. It is divided into eight sections: "About This Lesson"; "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; "Locating the Site: Maps" (Saugus, Massachusetts and Surrounding Area; South Part of New England, 1634); "Determining the Facts: Readings" (An Ironworks in New England; An Ironworks Community); "Visual Evidence: Images" (Map of Saugus, Lynn and Nahant; Materials and Techniques for Making Iron; Excavation at the Saugus Site; Artifact Found at Saugus; Reconstructed Ironworks Buildings; Artists' Conception of Saugus Ironworks); "Putting It All Together: Activities" (Archeology; Researching Industries in the Local Community); and "Supplementary Resources." (BT)
- Published
- 2001