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Explore the town
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The Nassawango Iron
Furnace was started in 1829 near Snow Hill, MD. The Village of
Furnace Town developed in support of smelting iron. Today this is
a view of the village as it was then.
The furnace produced pig iron from
1831 until 1850. For a while the furnace flourished and became a
center of commerce for the area. The surrounding village of about
300 men, women and children was self-supporting and included a
post office, church, boarding house and Company Store. In addition
to ironworkers, many skilled artisans were employed either by the
Furnace Company or in the service of the town. Unfortunately,
better iron ore was found in the Great Lakes area and coke
replaced charcoal as fuel. As desirable raw materials moved west,
Furnace Town could not compete and went into bankruptcy in 1850.
For a complete history go to A Brief History of Nassawango Iron.
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Two nature walks will take place on Saturday February 27, 2010, beginning and ending at Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum. The Dayhike runs from 2 - 4 pm, with the Nightwalk taking place from 7 - 9 pm. Both walks are part of Furnace Town’s educational program. Jeff Bacon, with The Nature Conservancy Stewardship Committee, will lead the Dayhike, along with his wife, Melissa. Weather and water levels will determine which of two TNC Boundary Trails will be used. All of the trails provide access to portions of Nassawango Creek and the Nassawango Cypress Swamp, and include a wide variety of plants. The focus of the walk will be on change - past, present and future - and the resiliency of nature. Joe Fehrer, Nassawango Land Manager with The Nature Conservancy, will lead the Nightwalk It will follow the Paul Leifer Trail along and over the Nassawango Cypress Swamp. Reservations may be made by calling Furnace Town at 410-632-2032. Each walk is $5.00 adults/ $4.50 over 60 or AAA/ $3.00 age 2 - 13. Anyone doing both walks will only need to pay for the first. Members of Furnace Town Foundation or of The Nature Conservancy receive free admission with presentation of their valid membership card. For more information, call Furnace Town at 410-632-2032. Furnace
Town is open seven days a week from 10 am to 5 pm between April 1 and October 31
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