{"nrhp_refnum":"99001044","name":"Richmond Furnace Historical and Archeological District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"State, Cone Hill, and Furnace Rds.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.35709150000005,"lon":-73.37575296313562,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-08-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Architecture","Engineering","Industry"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 290-acre L-shaped historic and archaeological district in Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, containing the remains of the Richmond Iron Works blast furnace, mines, charcoal kilns, mills and dams, plus ironworker housing and administrative buildings along State Road and Furnace Lane. The furnace dates to about 1829 with changes in 1905.","why_significant":"The district preserves the full chain of charcoal pig iron production, from ore mines and limestone quarries to the blast furnace and water power system. It also includes the worker housing built by the Richmond Iron Works. The furnace stack shows the regional Salisbury Iron District style associated with the I.N. Bartram Company, and the works operated until the early 20th century as one of the last in that district.","narrative":"Richmond Furnace is a 290-acre district in southwestern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, centered on the remains of an iron-making complex that used charcoal to produce pig iron. The Richmond Iron Works blast furnace, built about 1829 and altered in 1905, is the focal point. Its squat, battered stack of Stockbridge marble stands 34 feet high and has pointed Gothic arches typical of furnaces built by the I.N. Bartram Company. Around it lie the traces of the whole production process: open-pit and shaft iron mines, ore crusher foundations, brick charcoal kilns, limestone flux quarries, dams, ponds and a headrace that supplied water power. Earlier sawmill and gristmill sites from the 18th century are also included. The district contains 28 contributing buildings, among them ironworker houses from about 1840 and 1873 on State Road, Furnace Lane and Furnace Road. Together, these resources record a long-running industrial community, and its payroll approached 700 workers in the late nineteenth century.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Blast furnace construction typical of the I.N. Bartram Company; Richmond Iron Works (RIW) built the furnace and worker housing","architectural_style":"Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate (dwellings); Salisbury Iron District type blast furnace","criteria":[],"status_note":"The blast furnace stack survives but its stones are spalling and exfoliating, which may weaken the structure. Some houses are still used as dwellings.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.219398-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/7941/63794160/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/99001044.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001044/98e92f1001-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001044/98e92f1001-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RichmondMA_Rt49House_3.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794160","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Furnace_Historical_and_Archeological_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7330832"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/richmond-furnace-historical-and-archeological-district-99001044/"}