Kent Iron Furnace Hike

Twenty three join KHS on Kent Iron Furnace hike

The Kent Historical Society took interested area residents to the actual site of the Kent Iron Furnace Saturday, July 26 for a hike on the trail created by the State of Connecticut’s Office of Culture and Tourism and the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association.

The furnace is located on the site of the Eric Sloane Museum and the trail is highlighted with a number of pictorial markers that explain special sites on the property.

Executive Director Marge Smith shared her extensive knowledge of the site and how iron was created by pointing out the different areas, such as where the dam, water wheel and race were and remnants can still be seen today. Children stood on a salamander and learned what that was – waste product from when a furnace blast didn’t actually go quite right.

There were 23 people of varying ages that joined the hike, including one woman from Danbury who made the special trip to educate herself on the area’s historic ties to the iron industry. Several long-time residents joined the walk as well.

Everyone was invited back to the society’s Seven Hearths Museum, where an extensive exhibit delves into the iron industry in depth. There is an examination of a number of people from Kent who worked in the various aspects of taking the ore and transforming it into iron.