Ruins of the Maramec Iron Works are still visible at the site; its machinery was partly powered by the spring's waterflow.

[3] The history of the spring and the iron works is explained in a museum operated by the James Foundation at the site.

During the US Civil War, it produced iron for cannonballs and James B. Eads' gunships, which were built in St. Louis near the mouth of the river.

The iron works used the spring's flow to power its machinery, processing high-grade hematite from a nearby pit.

It features arts, crafts, foods, displays and presentations of life in the area during the era of the iron works.