Sterling Iron Works

In 1750 the first discovery was made of a rich superficial deposit of iron ore at the south end of Sterling Mountain, in the town of Monroe, New York.

These works were called the Sterling Iron-works, honoring General William Alexander known as Lord Stirling, the owner of the land, and later an officer in the Revolutionary army.

Several other veins of magnetic ore were later opened in the vicinity of the Sterling mine, which itself covered about 30 acres (120,000 m2).

The Forest of Dean mine, a very extensive bed six miles (10 km) west-northwest of Fort Montgomery, as early as 1756 supplied a furnace, and was abandoned twenty-one years later.

The ore yielded 62 per cent, of strong tough metal, from which cannon, muskets, wire, steel, fine malleable iron, and harness-buckles were made.

The Iron from this mine was remarkable for its strength and fine polish, and was in consequence chiefly exported to England to be tinned.

In the manufacture of edge-tools it was considered equal to the famous Dannemora mine Swedish Iron.

In addition to the batteries that stood menacingly upon the hill tops, the river was obstructed by an enormous defensive iron chain.

The iron of which this chain was constructed was wrought from ore of equal parts, from the Stirling and Long Mines, in Orange county.

Each winter the chain and boom were un-moored, taken up to the beach, in the cove now crossed by the railroad tracks, and piled up out of reach of the moving ice until ready to be replaced in the spring.

The chain was instrumental in the discovery of Benedict Arnold, when Peter Townsend's cousin, Sally Townsend, whose brother Robert was a member of Gen George Washington's Culper Ring of spies, allegedly intercepted information at the family home in Oyster Bay, Long Island which occupied by British officers.

The intercepted message from Arnold indicated that he had weakened the chain and contained instructions on how the Royal Navy could breach its defenses and take the fort at West Point.

Over 30 tons of chain links and components were carried by ox cart from Ringwood over the Ramapo Mountains to the Hudson River.