Ironmaster's Mansion

Ironmaster's Mansion. . , Known to the workers as "The Big House" , This stone house, although large and well appointed, is quite modest when compared to what we perceive as a mansion. The workers called it "The Big House," because it was larger and more showy than their simple wooden company houses. The mansion is built in the Georgian style, a popular style at the time. It was erected in 1833 for James Hall, one of the owners and the resident Ironmaster of the Greenwood Iron Works., There are 14 rooms on the three floors. The first and second floors were the living quarters of the Ironmaster and sometimes the bookkeeper and store clerks. The back of the house has a kitchen on the first floor. A steep winding staircase allowed servants to move from the kitchen to their quarters above the kitchen and in the attic (third floor) of the main house., In 1906, the mansion became the home of the local forest ranger, and later the nursery superintendent. Today, it is one of eight surviving furnace-era buildings in the park., The Ironmaster , An Ironmaster owned the iron works and the surrounding village, and to be successful, he needed to be a capitalist, technician, market analyst, personal director, bill collector, purchasing agent, and transportation expert. Those who could not master the task would shortly see their investments and dreams sold at a sheriff's sale.