Saugus in Essex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
River Basin Terminus
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, July 1, 2015
1. River Basin Terminus Marker
Inscription.
River Basin Terminus. . The discovery of a navigable river at a site which also offered timber and flowing water for power was cause for company investors and site planners to celebrate. Improved roads to this remote area did not exist in the 1600s. Transportation to the site was an important consideration. Hammersmith consumed tons of bog ore and gabbro with each firing of the blast furnace.
Three company-owned boats, loaded with iron rods, nailrod, merchant bars and cast iron products traveled the ten miles to Boston and to other coastal areas. On return trips the boats carried supplies and brought recently-recruited, skilled English iron workers to Hammersmith. Iron products made to be sold and shipped were stored in the warehouses next to the pier.
The construction and destruction of dams built by various industries over the past three hundred years have silted this once busy tidal terminus. The Saugus River at Hammersmith is no longer navigable with access to ocean water.
The discovery of a navigable river at a site which also offered timber and flowing water for power was cause for company investors and site planners to celebrate. Improved roads to this remote area did not exist in the 1600s. Transportation to the site was an important consideration. Hammersmith consumed tons of bog ore and gabbro with each firing of the blast furnace.
Three company-owned boats, loaded with iron rods, nailrod, merchant bars and cast iron products traveled the ten miles to Boston and to other coastal areas. On return trips the boats carried supplies and brought recently-recruited, skilled English iron workers to Hammersmith. Iron products made to be sold and shipped were stored in the warehouses next to the pier.
The construction and destruction of dams built by various industries over the past three hundred years have silted this once busy tidal terminus. The Saugus River at Hammersmith is no longer navigable with access to ocean water.
Location. 42° 28.137′ N, 71° 0.462′ W. Marker is in Saugus, Massachusetts, in Essex County. Marker
Click or scan to see this page online
can be reached from Bridge Street. The marker is at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, near the reconstructed pier. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saugus MA 01906, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The marker is next to the small building at the pier.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 296 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
