The Friends of Beckley Furnace

 

"What was this place, anyway?" That is the single question we at Beckley Furnace hear more frequently than any other.  We hope that this website will not just provide you with the answer to this question, but will also help you share in the fascination Beckley Furnace has for many of us today. for more information about Beckley Furnace, Connecticut's designated Industrial monument.	Beckley Furnace, seen from across the Blackberry River in July 2003
VISIT BECKLEY FURNACE  for driving directions and a Google map. Knowledgeable guides -- members of the Friends of Beckley Furnace -- will be onsite at the Furnace from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each Saturday beginning May 30, 2009 and continuing through September 5.  Our guides are knowledgeable and are happy to explain the operation of the furnace and of the entire facility, to show early photographs and to answer questions concerning the 192 year history of iron manufacture in Northwestern Connecticut and the Tri-state region. Most Saturdays we will have at leas one member of our board on site and on some Saturdays we will have two. Click here to see the roster of board members and when they will be serving as guides. We'll have our traditional Blackberry River Walk on August 15. (See photos of Blackberry River Walk 2008), and again we will not only have our walk, but also  food and demonstrations of traditional skills and crafts.  Whether you can visit on a summer Saturday morning when guides are available to answer questions or whether you visit Beckley Furnace at some other time, you'll find that we have  interpretive signage that provides much information about how the whole operation worked.	We particularly welcome student and school groups! Our experts are very pleased to tailor presentations to your group's interests, but we do require advance notice for guided tours during hours when we are not regularly open.    to see photos of some of the student groups that have visited us at Beckley Furnace.
	We invite you to learn more about Beckley Furnace, and to see other resources about the Salisbury Iron District. See the photos from our Blackberry River Walks.