Michigan Technological University, West Point Foundry Archaeology Project, Cold Spring, New York

West Point Foundry Archaeology Project at Cold Spring, NY
May 14, 2007 to August 3, 2007
Introduction

Home

Intro

Week 1

Wk 2

Wk 3

Wk 4

Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

Wk 8

Wk 9

Wk 10

Wk 11

The 2007 West Point Foundry field crew
Select on photograph to enlarge

Welcome to the West Point Foundry web page for 2007.

The West Point Foundry produced a variety of iron products during the nineteenth century including steam engines, locomotives, sugar machinery, water system valves, and of course cannons. At their peak of production during the Civil War, there were over 1,000 employees making about one million dollars worth of cannons and projectiles for Union forces annually. The Office Building, built in 1865, still stands on the site. With each new season, the students of Michigan Technological University’s Industrial Archaeology Field School discover more significant industrial remains in the woods and brush of the valley just southeast of Cold Spring, New York.

This will be Michigan Technological University’s SIXTH year of Archaeology Field School at the West Point Foundry Site, thanks to the efforts and support of Scenic Hudson Inc. The participants of 2007’s Field School hail from a wide variety of locales: Michigan, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Italy, Wisconsin, Alaska, Idaho, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Fordham University in New York City. Professors for this season are Drs. Patrick Martin, Timothy Scarlett, and Sam Sweitz. Dan Trepal is guiding this year’s campaign in the Boring Mill and Molding Shop for his thesis requirement while the Assistant Archaeologist is Elizabeth Norris and field lab coordinator is Lee Swetiz. These pages will provide weekly updates and photographs on the class's progress prepared by students of the field school.

Final overview shot of furnace units