Day 32 - Catoctin Furnace Village

The area where I live is so steeped in history, and Catoctin Furnace Village is certainly no exception.

Collier's House

When you walk through the little village, which is primarily small houses lining a roadway, a small stone church, and a stone iron furnace, you may be fooled into thinking that this place looks much the same as it did 150 years ago, but in truth, the village would have been a bustling metropolis compared to what it looks like today.

The iron furnace at one end of the village would have been hot and smoking, smelting iron ore from rock mined from the nearby mountains, and hills would have been bare of trees, because local timber was used as fuel for the furnace before it was converted to coal.  Nearby the company-owned houses for workers lined the town streets, and there was a grist mill, a saw mill, a railway, and a company store.

The Iron Furnace and Casting Shed

Many present day inhabitants of this little village can trace their ancestors back to the original settlers.  In fact, a few of the small stone "cottages" that still line the streets are occupied by lifelong residents.

Visit the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society's web site to find out when they are having their next festival or event.  I know for a fact that they are making apple butter the old fashioned way, in pots outside on a wood burning fire, starting tomorrow.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so