Natural History

Natural History. . The Falling Creek Ironworks site is located seven miles south of Richmond, along Falling Creek, adjacent to Jefferson Davis Highway. The location also serves as a gateway to the area and is a draw for visitors to the Falling Creek Greenway with abundant natural resources of geology, hydrology, flora and fauna. The unique features of the falls and the natural scenic beauty of the area attract anglers, birders, hikers and photographers., The existing vegetation is predominantly second-growth hardwood. The undergrowth is mostly herbaceous, along with woody plants such as alder, along the shoreline. Most of the trees are water-tolerant species such as red maple, sycamore and ash., The site adjacent to Falling Creek is a fairly flat to gently sloping flood plain. Further back from this low terrace are some moderate to steep side slopes., In addition to the riparian habitat and the abundant natural resources that exist, the surrounding area also supports the possibility of future development into a recreational marina. This could provide commercial tour boats an alternative arrival destination to Falling Creek Ironworks Park and other historic sites., This site is representative of a typical eastern bottomland, hardwood forest along the banks of the creek with unique tree and ground cover plants. Natural processes are easily and readily observable. The environment surrounding this location has profound biological interactions, between soil, microorganisms, flowers, plants and water., This balance within the ecosystem is what brought the first settlers to the area, who needed abundant water supplies for powering grist mills and industry, trees for building materials, stones for building and construction, and wildlife for food. This site was an excellent location for the establishment of the earliest iron furnace operation in the New World by the colonists., (caption) , Falling Creek supports a variety of plants and wildlife