Norton Furnace, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: Copperworks Mills, Norton Village | |
  Norton Furnace  Norton Furnace | |
| Coordinates:41°56′19″N71°09′34″W / 41.93861°N 71.15944°W /41.93861; -71.15944 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Bristol |
| Elevation | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 606288[1] |
Norton Furnace is aghost town inBristol County, Massachusetts, United States.[1] The settlement was located approximately 2 mi (3.2 km) south ofNorton.
The general area where Norton Furnace was located, betweenNorton andOakland, is today known as Meadowbrook (at Meadow Brook Pond[2]).[3] The Furnace operated by theWading River which junctions with theThree Mile River; these rivers were essential to the daily operations of the furnace.[4]
A furnace for manufacturing iron was established here in 1825 by Annes A. Lincoln, Jr. By 1837, it employed 25 people.[3][5]
The early settlement was known as "Norton Furnace", "Copperworks Village", and "Norton Mills".[5][6]
By 1850, the settlement had 25 houses and a store.[5]
Two companies located there—Norton Copper Works, and the Norton Furnace Company—remained active until the 1890s, after which the Norton Copper Works moved toWorcester and the Norton Furnace Company moved to nearBoston.[7][8]
A branch of theOld Colony Railroad ran through the settlement, and by 1871 a station was located there.[6][9]
A post office was located there as early as 1899.[7] The Meadowbrook post office was located there from 1902 to 1912.[10]
Today the ghost town is a part of the L.A foster Wildlife Refuge. Although most of the ghost town is gone remnants of the town are found within overgrown paths following TheWading River inNorton Massachusetts.[11]
The Meadowbrook Railroad Station was on Route 140 across from Meadowbrook Pond on the Taunton/Attleboro railroad line. In 1900 this area was called Norton Furnace. Meadowbrook had a post office at that time. Mrs. Lydia Lincoln Austin was the station agent as well as the postmaster. Notice the framed device built on the roof which extends out. A mail pouch would be fastened to the frame and be picked up by a catcher arm on a passing train. The railroad through Meadowbrook was built in the 1860's.
Municipalities and communities ofBristol County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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