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| Landmark #2422 | Passaic County | Visited: May 14, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Long Pond Ironworks Historic District in Hewitt! |
| What makes it historical? | THE PLAQUE SAYS: Founded in 1766 by Peter Hasenclever, the Long Pond Ironworks was run by a succession of famous ironmasters, including Robert Erskine, Martin J. Ryerson, and Abram S. Hewitt. The Long Pond furnace, forge, and supporting village contributed to the war efforts during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. As at many other iron-producing sites in the Highlands, the furnace operation at Long Pond ended in the 1880s when the iron industry’s western migration was complete.
Long Pond was the colonial name for Greenwood Lake, the source of waterpower for the 18th- and 19th- century iron smelting complex. OTHER TIDBITS: Iron making in New Jersey started almost immediately after the British took over this area from the Dutch, as early as 1685. This site, originally called Ringwood Ironworks, was purchased in 1765 by Peter Hasenclever, who set to work damming the Wanaque River to generate power to run his furnaces! Though Long Pond was run by a German, backed by the British American Company, and worked by over 500 imported European iron workers, much of the iron produced at Long Pond went intothe independence of the USA! Under Robert Erskine, the iron became weapons and supplies for the Continental Army during the American Revolution! Under Martin Ryerson, the iron became a chain stretched across Baltimore Harbor from Fort McHenry to Lazaretto Point that kept the British fleet from entering the harbor during the War of 1812! Finally, under Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, this iron became Union Army guns during the Civil War! In short, we can thank Long Pond for producing the tools that forged (and re-forged) our nation! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: On Greenwood Lake Turnpike (Rt. 511) West Milford, NJ 07421 Annotations: From Atlantic City: ~156mi (252km) — 2.6hrs |
| When should I go? | You can wander the trails any time you like, but the museum is open weekends from April to November from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM! |
