Falling Creek Ironworks

Falling Creek Ironworks, near the confluence of Falling Creek and the James River in Virginia, was established by the Virginia Company of London beginning in 1619 and is recognized as the first iron production facility in North America. Chosen for its iron ore, water power, and access to shipping, it embodied the Virginia colony’s early effort to build a profitable industry beyond tobacco. Some iron was produced before the Powhatan Confederacy’s coordinated attack on March 22, 1622, destroyed the works and killed twenty-seven colonists. Later ironmaking attempts also failed, but the site was rediscovered through archaeological work in the early 21st century.

Bensley, Virginia · United States