SAUGUS — The “birthplace of the American iron and steel industry” — the Saugus Iron Works — is in the middle of a facelift.
The historic site, which dates back to the 17th century, has been undergoing restoration and preservation work since March 2022, with much of the work thus far focused on the Iron Works’ charging bridge and blast furnace. Impossible to miss, the bridge and furnace are shrouded in scaffolding for the time being, though park officials say they expect both features to reopen this summer.
The charging bridge and blast furnace represent two key components of the ironmaking process, Facility Manager Jeremy Bumagin explained on a tour of the site earlier this month. The bridge allowed ironworkers to cart materials over to the furnace where they were melted down into iron. While the site itself has not been an active ironworks for centuries, it once represented the center of the industry. And, only 12 facilities of its kind were in operation throughout the nation.
While Bumagin stressed that park officials shy away from closing features as best they can, the need to restore the furnace and bridge grew too great.
“The scale of this repair hasn’t been done in about 30 years,” he said, explaining that the bridge itself is being completely rebuilt because of rot and deterioration to the timber.
Other work includes repairs to the masonry of the furnace itself, a revised section of the rail along the bridge, and replacing the roof of the casting shed.
The restoration work is estimated to cost roughly $1 million, according to Bumagin, and is addressing end-of-life-cycle maintenance. He said the biggest slowdown in the restoration work was acquiring materials for construction, particularly because the necessary lumber had to be custom-cut for the project.
Bumagin, Facility Supervisor Scott Law, and Iron Works Superintendent Jennifer Hardin stressed that prior to the restoration work, the bridge and furnace remained open to the public. They emphasized that ensuring that no features of the park close is a key priority.
“There were clear condition issues that we knew about,” Bumagin said. “We knew its age, we knew it had deteriorating conditions.”
“The only period when it’s closed is when the work is going on,” he added.
The Iron Works is open to the public 24/7 and hosts a bevy of community programming throughout the summer season, including tours. Each building on the property played a different role in the iron-making process, with the charging bridge and blast furnace representing essentially the first step.
But, Hardin explained, restoration at the site is “always ongoing,” and more work is planned for other areas in the coming years, including the water wheel that powered the blast furnace.
“We’ll be working on these other wheels and the other two buildings, we have projects lined up for that as well,” she said. “There’ll be some ongoing work here just to make sure that the structures stay in really good shape and we’ll be able to continue to welcome the public.”
“Even while this work is going on, we’ll still do tours, we just will work around the construction,” she added.
When the furnace is not under repair, it could theoretically be used to make iron, though Bumagin said the effort of doing so would be tremendous. He said the furnace would need to be in operation for roughly 18 hours so the iron doesn’t cool and harden in the chamber.
“It’s an investment and something we don’t want to try,” he said. “But, to our knowledge, this blast furnace would actually work.”
While the Iron Works is an important historic site, it is also a natural oasis in the middle of Saugus Center.
Bumagin said many come to the park not to revel in the history, but to walk their dogs or along the nature trail.
“We talk a lot about the history that’s sort of what this preservation discussion goes into, but it’s also really important, it’s a great natural sight,” he said. “There’s a lot of species of birds, animals, who live here … a lot of people just come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery.”
