Salisbury was incorporated in 1741. Its Congregational meeting house, built from 1749 to 1751 in the exact center of town, survives as the core of the present Town Hall. The original agricultural settlement was rich in iron ore deposits, including Ore Hill Mine in Lakeville, opened in 1731. Lamb's forge and furnace were built in Lime Rock in 1734. The first blast furnace in Connecticut was built in Lakeville in 1762, and the Riga forge and furnace in 1802. Salisbury's iron industry lasted until the early 1900's and contributed to the success of the Revolution, the War of 1812, and the development of railroads, industry, and agriculture.