Passed by this place every day for YEARS and always wondered what it actually was LOL. One day my mom and I finally decided to stop by, and it was actually really cool! The entrance is free, it's a short walk, and we love a good free activity! We took some nice photos, walked around, and learned about the history of the iron works. It was a nice little outing without having to spend anything. They also have events here sometimes. I've driven by while they've had concerts and even a movie night, which I thought was pretty cool. There's also a parking lot, so it's convenient to get to. Definitely a great place to check out if you're ever around Saugus and looking for something free and easy to do! read more

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Beautiful park full of history and stories shared by some very knowledgeable Rangers. Easy parking and free entrance makes this a must stop when visiting the area. Highly recommend a tour of the house with Ranger Paul (hope I got the name right), he was very knowledgeable and presented it so that even our 14 year old Grandaughter was interested read more

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I've passed this place so many times in my first year being in Saugus and one day I decided to pull over and pop in and wow! What a great place. The main house wasn't open at the time I went but the grounds were beautiful, peaceful, and a perfect spot for a picnic or just a nice stroll around the historical structures. Will come back! read more

Saugus Iron Works - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saugus, Massachusetts

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It's free and interesting. You can see how the iron works ran back in the day. Great guided tour. Definitely worth visiting. read more

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Free national park. Quiet, clean, and so much knowledge here. I love how this was 1600s and then someone restored it in the 1950s. Rangers are kind and patient. read more

Glad to see that this place is getting well-deserved rave reviews. It's a bit of a hidden gem that really ought to receive more traffic, especially at the price. (Free!) There's a visitor center staffed by nice rangers. There's a museum with a short video and some artifacts. There's the recreated iron works themselves. They do a nice job striking a balance between the specific (here's how casting worked); the broad (here's how this affected history for hundreds of years); and even the meta (here's how this site was uncovered in the 1940s... they found a huge piece of the original wheel!) Or if you don't want to do any learning, you can just admire the pretty. There's a nice little nature trail too. read more

Saugus Iron Works - Industry! History! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saugus, Massachusetts

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this is a really nice little park depicting how it would have looked back in the day. Nothing is original just recreation. However on certain days they do live reenactments of how everything works. On other days it's just a nice peaceful little park in a quiet neighborhood. read more

An interesting free attraction! The really pack a lot in the area. The museum and structures do a great job showing how the iron works ran back in the day! Well worth a visit! read more

Saugus Iron Works National Historical Park. It was the first iron works plant in the new world dating back to the mid 1600's. The site was re-discovered in a 1948 archeological dig and reconstructed in the 1950's. The National Park Service has done a lot of work and currently have 3 water wheels up and running with more in the works. They currently have the Blast Furnace, Forge, and Rolling and Slitting Mill in partial operation. My boyfriend being a mechanical person it was one of his favorite places we've been favorite parks. Make sure to take the tour. Great field trip! One I would come back to! read more

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super cool spot to checkout. not busy in the winter. would recommend stopping by if in the area. cool dock and house & paths. pilgrim village aesthetic read more

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I have lived in Massachusetts most of my life, sans the college years. And I do think of myself as a local "tourist". So I'm not sure how I have missed out on visiting Saugus Iron Works. Wow. I have been missing out on a total gen. This place was amazing. If you go, you HAVE to do the Ranger Tour of the Industrial Sight. Ranger Peter was pretty amazing. He was entertaining, engaging, and had a great sense of humor. Ranger Paul was working n the blacksmith shop and he made me a nail! I got to bring the nail home!!! The procedure for making Iron has not changed since the process was invented. You still need Iron ore, a source of calcium, and 3000 degrees. It's amazing to think that 500 years ago the technology existed. And Saugus produced 8000 lbs of iron every week. It doesn't matter if you care about history. Or the industrial revolution. After visiting this place you will care. read more

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Well-designed museum with excellent historic structures and vintage pieces that accent every structure. An educational and enjoyable site that is wonderfully preserved and pleasantly walkable. What a terrific resource to show kids and visitors unfamiliar with these old-school ways of iron working. The giant bellows are most impressive, and the interior museum is extremely informative. Add ranger tours and a gift shop and you have a gem of an historic landmark. read more

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They discovered this place (which was under a huge mound, I believe) around the time I was born (Summer 1949). They reconstructed the village and my parents took our family there for the Grand Opening (1957?). We're in that picture they have hanging in the gift shop, somewhere! This is an excellent museum. We used to go here for school trips (I lived in Cliftondale, a village in Saugus) and the hammer was actually working. We would put a penny on the block and get back the largest penny you'll ever see! Then OSHA came along; probably after a kid got his fingers flattened and that was the end of the "Live" hammer. The Saugus tribe was very active in this area, in the past, that's why there are books about them in the gift shop. Kids were still finding arrowheads in Saugus in the 1950's. The iron and steel industry moved to Pennsylvania and beyond to frustrate King George. That's why this place was abandoned. read more

If you're a national historian site with a working set of water wheels, you get five stars. That's how things work for me.

A must see! I've lived in the area for years and finally had the opportunity to check this place out. It's a beautiful park! Ranger Kevin, the tour guide, was excellent. He did a great job explaining the history of the Iron Works (and some of the history that preceded it) and was very interactive. I had such a good time! read more

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Saugus Iron Works in Saugus, MA is a National Historic site just 10 miles north of Boston. This was the first integrated ironworks in America, established in 1645. We had a great tour guide that related all the history of the site. Prior to the opening, all iron for nails, horseshoes, weapons, etc had to be imported. Using the Saugus River to provide power, the site opened in what was Lynn, but now Saugus. It's hilly and you walk along paths between the mill and the blast furnace, so wear comfy shoes. It's along the river and there are a lot of shade trees, so even if you come on s hot day, it won't be too uncomfortable. I probably would not have gone, but I tagged along with someone else. To my surprise, I found it very interesting and I would recommend visiting here! read more

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Free, free, free National Park stop in a totally beautiful setting. Lots has already been said in previous reviews that doesn't need to be said again, but let me just put in a plug for their Junior Ranger kids program here. It. Is. Awesome. The kids get sworn in first and then they get a backpack to use for the day,filled with all the necessary supplies to use for the day during their JuniorRanger explorations of the park. There are magnifying glasses, binoculars, field guides for flora and fauna, and a clipboard of activities to fill out. We have used a ton of the junior ranger programs in the area with our 1st and 3rd graders this past year, and while most of them have had some fun workbooks and activities, this was one of the ones the kids really went nuts over, since they really got to create their own adventure. The grounds are really well maintained, the plaques and signage informative, and the rangers are responsive and knowledgeable. I'm looking forward to going back there when all the restorations are done to the water power building. Worth an afternoon visit - make it a day if you stop by Kane's Donuts five minutes down the road for breakfast. ;) read more

Even with no water in the pond this place is gorgeous for pictures. Looking fwd to going back to watch it in full working order.

Saugus Iron Works is a great spot. It's scenic, quiet and educational. This is a place your Dad would take you to on a family vacation as a teenager and you'd hate it, but secretly you'd think it was pretty damn cool. First, there are 3 working water wheel that the ranger's will turn on for you. Second, wildlife and a nature trail. Third, there are hardly any people there, in 6 hours I saw a total of 6 other people, so it was quiet. Fourth, the rangers will do a blacksmithing demonstration and make a nail, yeah a nail, and it's cool. I love this place. read more

I visited the site on a weekday in October. First of all, the site is beautifully situated next to the river. Here is a reconstructed 17th c, house, blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, shear and a pier. Much of what one sees here is based on excavations carried out after WW2. I was impressed with this site even after having seen Hopewell Furnace NH Site and Cornwall Iron Furnace. A demonstration of the operation of the water wheel was carried out; witnessed the pounding of the iron hammer and the pumping of the air blast bellows. Afterwards, a demonstration in the blacksmith barn occurred where the iron rods were turned into nails. read more

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So cool. These guys and gals are great. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a ranger who gave us a map and a pamphlet about the place. She suggested we check out the museum and we could catch the next tour and demonstration. The museum was fun. It had the history of the area, the iron works and a good overview of the process that was being used. They also had a ten minute video of the history of the iron works. The best part was the tour. The tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable of the history and the process that was used to make the iron. Fielding questions with ease. Then there was the demonstration of the water wheels. Something you need to see. The nature trail was a bit disappointing. Some wild grapes and strawberries and it is not that long. read more

Beautiful little national park with a lot of history. The rangers have tours that will explain how iron was made in the early days of the European settlement. They also have a display explaining the history of their workforce. About 60 Scots captured in the battle of Dunbar were sold for 7 years servitude here, Cromwell needed the money. Some cut wood, some dug the iron ore, some learned blacksmithing and then spread from New Jersey to Maine when their term was ended. Its a piece of history most people have never heard of. read more

Is not open year round ! The tours are good but not as in depth as I would have hoped for , they should clear out the river a little so it looks more appealing the Saugus river was basically a dried out spout . But the tour guides were very knowledgeable read more

Absolutely love the national park system and this is a great example of what many of the smallers parks and historic sites have to offer. A fantastic place for a quiet stroll through the grounds while you absorb the history of the location. The staff is great and very helpful in guiding you through experience. Do not miss any of these smaller gems in the National Park system. read more

Saugus Iron Works - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saugus, Massachusetts

We loved this site for so many different reasons. As stated in other reviews, what a gem! The amount of information that is shared by the sincerely enthusiastic rangers is so extensive that it ignites your imagination - adults and kids alike - with almost every fact and everything that is seen. Our ranger guides were Monique and Paul, for the tours of the industrial site, the grounds and the interior of the house. From discussion of architecture, dendrochronology, resources, Puritan lifestyle and culture, the lifestyle and culture of the workers at the site, the many jobs that needed to be done to make the business work, the engineer that visited from England to scout the location, the discovery and use of gabbro to charge the furnace, (just randomly naming a few things that were amazing)...all of it, the barn swallows, the unique trees, the setting. And there is no fee to visit. It's a treasure. Our 13 and 15 year old children really got a lot out of it, and the other children in the small group seemed to be just as interested. Totally recommend this incredible site! read more

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We just stopped here super quick to flatten a penny before catching our flight. The rangers here seemed super helpful and the grounds were beautiful. We wish we could have stayed longer. read more

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site 244 Central Street Saugus, was the first iron foundry (and commercial bloomery) in this country. Pick up a map from the visitors center. Free entry, free parking. Check their website for interesting, seasonal activities. Here's some of what they have to say: "Using charcoal as its fuel, the Saugus blast furnace roared to life in 1646 and smelted locally-mined bog ore and gabbros into cast iron "pig" bars. Gray iron was also poured into molds to make pots, kettles, skillets, fire backs and salt-pans." Take the free informative Ranger guided tour. We were taken to the Blast Furnace. The Forge has 1 working water wheel that the rangers turn on. Then to the Rolling and Sitting Mill that has 3 water wheels that run the bellows. Harnessing water power you can hear the 500 pound hammer for shaping a rough square. At the Blacksmith Shop the Rangers will show you how to make iron nails and you will be glad that you live in the age of Home Depot. On the day we went we were also able to see an Iron Pour Demonstration. We watched how our forbears 'pumped iron' or students from the Mass. College of Art Iron Guild melt and cast iron, which was then poured into molds and hardens into shape. We had an exciting, hands-on opportunity to scratch a design into a sand mold and see it cast in hot, liquid iron to take home! Dogs on leash are allowed too. We went with our scouts group and had taken a picnic lunch and lawn chairs. read more

Amazingly interesting historical center. Surprising how hidden in plain site this gem is. They have really knowledgable staff and exciting tidbits. Who knew how integral Saugus/Lynn was in the Industrial Revolution? read more

This place blows my mind! I'm a machinist, my daily job involves using cutting edge CNC manufacturing tools, and this place is a total time warp. A recreation of the cutting edge of 17th century technology, a time when people recovered nails because nails were worth recovering! Seeing the machinery being powered by water wheels is truly awesome. (amongst others, a 1/4 ton trip hammer.) and they have a furnace that they use to melt and cast iron a few times a year. If you can, see THAT! read more