{"nrhp_refnum":"83003938","name":"Furnace Village Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"MA 106/123","address_restricted":false,"city":"Easton","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":42.02433800000006,"lon":-71.13246507744661,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Prehistoric","Historic - Aboriginal","Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Furnace Village Historic District is a widespread 131-acre district of industrial sites and residences in Easton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, clustered around a system of natural and artificial waterways. It is mainly 19th century in character, with origins in the mid 18th century.","why_significant":"Bog iron and water power led to an iron industry founded in 1751, one of the earliest in southeast Massachusetts, with a major foundry active during the American Revolution. The district keeps many early structures, waterways and archaeological sites, and its Federal and Greek Revival buildings reflect the area's economic cycles. Belcher Malleable Iron Company is described as the oldest continually operating malleable iron company in the United States still in its original location.","narrative":"Furnace Village in Easton, Massachusetts, is a 131-acre district of mills, ponds, canals, cemeteries and modest houses shaped by water power. An iron furnace founded in 1751 by a group of nine men used local bog iron and the nearby brooks. During the Revolutionary War, owner James Perry supplied the Continental Army with cannon and cannonballs, and a retaining wall used in proofing cannon still stands by Old Pond. Sheperd Leach later expanded the water system, and by 1823 three ponds served the works. Fires destroyed most original foundry buildings, though the charcoal shed and the company office survive. Belcher Malleable Iron Company continues the industry today. The houses are mostly simple wood-frame vernacular buildings, with notable Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival examples such as the 1723 Josiah Keith House and the 1812 Lincoln-Drake House. Prehistoric artifacts and remains of early mills add archaeological value.","period_of_significance":"1751-1850","architect_builder":"Captain James Perry, General Sheperd Leach, principal owners","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian vernacular","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"The iron company continues to operate today, and the district includes occupied and unoccupied properties with agricultural, commercial, park and residential uses.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.752561-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7943/63794398/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83003938.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003938/7f19f2e9f0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003938/7f19f2e9f0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Furnace_Village_Cemetery,_Easton_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Furnace_Village_Cemetery,_Easton_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794398","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnace_Village_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5509627"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/furnace-village-historic-district-83003938/"}