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Winthrop, John, Jr., Iron Furnace Site
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| Nearest city: | Quincy, Massachusetts |
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| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1644 |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: |
77000192 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | September 20, 1977 |
The John Winthrop, Jr. Iron Furnace Site is a historic site at 61 Crescent Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. The site is called Braintree Furnace in some texts; the West Quincy location at the time of operation was in a part of Braintree, Massachusetts that later became the town of Quincy.[2][3] Its importance lies in the fact that it was the first iron blast furnace established in what would become the United States.[4] Furnace Brook, a stream which begins on the eastern slopes of the Blue Hills and meanders for about four miles from southwest to northeast through the middle of Quincy toward Quincy Bay, was named for the iron works site.[2]
In 1641, the Massachusetts General Court set forth a plan for "discovery of mines" and for the manufacture of iron. It appointed John Winthrop the Younger, son of the governor of Massachusetts, and himself later the governor of Connecticut as its director. Winthrop went to London to recruit men with the specialized skills required for making iron. He returned in 1643 having succeeded in raising capital for the project and in finding the necessary men. Construction of the furnace began in 1644 and iron production began in 1645. Unfortunately there was not enough bog iron nearby to support the operation and it shut down in 1647. Winthrop went on to found a similar operation in Connecticut.[5]
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
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