Furnace Town Historic Site is a treasure of Worcester County. Located near Snow Hill, Furnace Town is a collection of historic buildings and artisans’ studios located around the Nassawango Iron Furnace. While the Covid crisis and some other issues have set Furnace Town back a bit, it is poised to again become a vibrant reminder of the history of Worcester County and the Lower Shore and a gateway to the natural beauty and the trails of Pocomoke Forest. Plan to visit Furnace Town as it re-opens and consider becoming a member.
The Village Furnace town contains many historic buildings that are evocative of life in Worcester during the 19th century and display the technologies and trades that our ancestors used in their everyday lives. Among the buildings are:
- The Broom House, a small building that originally housed strawberry pickers in the 19th century and was converted to broom making in the late 19th century. It contains the original equipment used by broom-makers including a ‘kicker wonder’ and a ‘broom vise’ which are still in working order. Depending on availability, you may be able to purchase one of the hand-made brooms at the gift shop.
- The Mt. Zion One Room School House, is a wonderful example of the type of schoolhouse common on the Eastern Shore and much of America during the 19th century. It is fully equipped with desks, a coal stove, blackboards and many other artifacts. It is a good example of the kind of school our ancestors attended.
- The Old Nazareth Church was a country Methodist Church from 1870 to the mid-20th century. After the Church ceased to be used by the Methodist Conference, heirs of the original Trustees donated it to Furnace Town Foundation, Inc. The building was moved to Furnace Town in 1980. It is a beautiful church building, completely furnished and well-kept.
- The Print Shop. A variety of presses are used in the Print Shop to produce broadsides, notices and forms. The printer sets each letter upside down and backward so that the text will be correct once it is printed. Exhibit items include a foot pedal operated platen press, a screw press and proof presses. Wooden type cases have handset metal and wood type. A variety of wood block designs augment the many fonts available. These are typical of print technology in the late 19th century.
- The Weave House. Two historic treadle looms almost fill the Weaver’s House, which includes a warping board, triangle loom, carders and more tools of the weaving trade. Both looms are used in making rugs, table runners, placemats, hot mats, mug rugs and tote bags. The triangle loom is used to make shawls.
- Woodworkers’ Shop. This building, dating from 1850 was donated by Lester Shockley. Ernest Glaser, a master craftsman and furniture maker who lived in Snow Hill, donated everything in his woodworking shop including over 3000 historic tools for use in the shop. Today the shop is a tribute to Mr. Glaser’s faith in the project, showing and using early power tools as well as the hand tools of a master craftsman and a gentleman. This is a rare opportunity to see the ingenious tools used by the craftsmen of the day and how they worked.
- Nassawango Iron Furnace This amazing structure is a National Historic Landmark. The Nassawango Iron Furnace was erected in 1830 by the Maryland Iron Company to smelt iron from the bog ore formations in the immediate vicinity. It is the only furnace in Maryland ever to make extensive use of bog ore. It operated only until 1849. The furnace produced about 700 tons of iron per year using local bog iron ore and, in place of limestone, used crushed clam and oyster shells shipped up the Pocomoke River and Nassawango Creek to the site. The finished iron was shipped out the same way. It’s an amazing example of early industry on the Eastern Shore.
- Blacksmith Shop. The blacksmith shop is a working blacksmith shop and used by the local Blacksmith Guild to demonstrate blacksmithing techniques. The shop includes a forge, anvil and numerous tools. Item’s produced in the shop are for sale in the museum store.
- Other Buildings. There are many other buildings and gardens to demonstrate 19th century life.
Consider a visit to Furnace Town. It’s a remarkable collection of buildings, gardens and tools showing 19th century life. You can learn more at their website by clicking HERE.