Built in 1742 by Peter Grubb near an immensely rich ore deposit and acres of forest for making charcoal fuel, Cornwall Iron Furnace stood at the center of a self-sufficient community that included the ironmaster's mansion and workers' houses. The furnace produced pig iron, cast goods, and cannons for the Revolutionary War. Sold in 1798 to entrepreneur Robert Coleman, it operated until 1883 and survives fully intact a few miles east at Cornwall.