Taunton Iron Works

[1] On October 21, 1652, after the discovery of large amounts of bog ore in the area, residents of Taunton voted to establish an iron works in their town.

A joint-stock company was established by the town, and shares were sold to many members of the community, as well as a few individuals in other surrounding places.

These members included "Hezekiah HOARE, Thomas GILBERT, Richard WILLIAMS, Walter DEAN, George HALL, Oliver PURCHIS, James WALKER, John TISDALL, Wm.

PARKER, Mr. GILBERT senr: Peter PITTS, Richard STACEY, John COBB, William HODGES, Nath’l WOODWARD, Timothy HOLLOWAY, James BURT, Edward BOBETT, Jonah AUSTIN, sen’r, John PARKER, Samuel WILBORE, Miss E. POLE, Jane POLE ... William POLE, Timothy LINDALL of Salem, his son-in-law, Nicholas WHITE, senr., Richard STEPHENS, John TURNER, Thomas LINCOLN, senr., Anthony SLOCUM, James LEONARD, Thos.

ARMSBERY, Joseph WILBORE, Henry ANDREWS, John HALL, James PHILLIPS, Francis SMITH, Geo.

Consisting of a two-hearth water-powered bloomery, it produced bar iron directly from ore, yielding about 20 to 30 tons annually.

This position was later held successively by his son John Hall, Henry Andrews and Israel Dean.

[7] Job M. Leonard, another descendant of James, would later set up iron works in nearby East Bridgewater and Somerset.

Depiction of Iron Works on Rayhnam Town Seal, hailed as "First Iron Works in America". It was actually the first iron works in what was then Plymouth Colony, built several years after Saugus and Braintree.
Site of Taunton Iron Works
Plaque at the site
Theodore Dean, the last owner of the iron works