Mill Talk: Forging History: The Creation of Saugus Iron Works NHS

The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, located in Saugus, Massachusetts, is a mid-twentieth century reconstruction of a seventeenth-century ironworks. Built by private investors in the public interest, the site is at turns an outdoor museum teaching the public about the origins of the iron and steel industries and an object lesson in the ingenuity of the early settlers of Massachusetts as a way of conveying American beliefs about the pioneer spirit and independence onto a new generation. This talk explores the history of the site, beginning with its establishment in the mid-seventeenth century, through its stewardship by the National Park Service in the late twentieth century.

Speaker Bio:

Gretchen Pineo is a Senior Architectural Historian at the Public Archaeology Laboratory in Pawtucket, RI and an adjunct instructor at the Boston Architectural College. She received her M.A. in Preservation Studies from Boston University and holds a professional certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University. She joined PAL in 2014 after interning with the National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Region History Program, where she was introduced to Saugus Iron Works NHS and became intrigued by its history. Ms. Pineo works throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic for a variety of government and private clients, documenting disparate resources including state and national parks, historic towns and villages, and military installations. She has also developed public interpretive displays in Massachusetts and Rhode Island covering disparate topics including industrial village development and Cold War-era scientific and military research.

Links:

https://www.palinc.com/

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