Hunter’s Iron Works

Historian Jerrilynn MacGregor created this sketch of Hunter's Iron Works based on historical and archaeological research into the site. The forge and iron works were founded sometime in the 1750s by Fredericksburg merchant James Hunter on the Rappahannock River east of Falmouth. The complex included a forge and blast furnace; a merchant mill, gristmill, and sawmill; and numerous related workshops. It employed a small community of hired and enslaved workers.

During the American Revolution, Hunter’s Iron Works supported the war effort with the production of firearms, becoming known as Rappahannock Forge. The foundry produced muskets, pistols, carbines, camp kettles, and other tools necessary for the Continental Army. Congress’s failure to pay Hunter for the goods provided, and eventual recruitment of his workers to the army, eventually forced him to close the foundry in 1782.