Abandoned Maine: Kathadin Iron Works

A visit to the abandoned Kathadin Iron Works near Brownville Junction Maine. Luckily a couple of remains were saved and turned into at least something you can visit and get a sense of a significant manufacturing operation during the 19th century. Iron ore was discovered at the foot of Ore Mountain. The Katahdin Iron Works was established in 1843, when roads were cut out and a blast furnace erected. A hotel and several houses were built for workers. Charcoal was made in 14 kilns, consuming 10,000 cords of wood per year. The company and land were sold in 1845, and the new owners operated it until 1856, the year it produced 2350 tons of iron. However, shipping it to Bangor was expensive. The Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway (B&KIW) was constructed to Brownville in 1881, then connected north to the Katahdin Iron Works in 1883. Exploration of the mining area is included which consisted of mostly removing the top layer of the hillside in order to reach the 4 foot layer of iron ore that was left over from volcanic activity that occurred roughly 420 million years ago.