National Historic Sites · Massachusetts
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
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Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
In the 1600's, on the banks of the Saugus River, something extraordinary happened! Explore the place where European iron makers brought their special skills to a young Massachusetts colony. Saugus Iron Works is a twelve-acre National Historic Site that includes working waterwheels, forges, mills, a historic 17th century home, and a lush river basin.
Geography
Designation: 2
National Historic Site
State or territory: 3
Massachusetts
Area Map - Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site: 4
Map scope: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Map of Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts. Areas around Salem, Marblehead, Lynn, and Boston along the east coast are shown in beige and the surrounding regions in darker tan. The Massachusetts Bay to the east is blue.
History and culture
People: 5
The land that makes up Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site has been used by many different people over time. Archaeological evidence shows that Native American groups used the land here for thousands of years. The Native Americans who were in the area at the time of contact with Europeans are known as the Pawtucket. European exploration and settlement brought about vast change and introduced new groups of people who made use of the area. In the 1640s, a group of Englishmen and Massachusetts residents built the Saugus Iron Works to make iron for the new colony and to make money for themsdelves. This endeavor forced interactions between diverse groups of people including Puritans, English iron workers, Scottish indentured servants, and Pawtucket Native Americans. In more modern times, people concerned with the preservation of history have left their own mark at Saugus Iron Works. Archaeologists have excavated the site to help us protect artifacts and learn more about the past. Preservationists were originally drawn to the Iron Works House, but eventually ended up protecting the entire site. Explore the resources below to learn more about these different groups of people, and how they lived and worked in this area.
Places: 6
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site evokes the character of a working, water-powered, iron-making plant from the early Massachusetts Bay Colony. Visitors can tour three mill buildings where an elaborate system of waterwheels and sluiceways powers 17th-century engineered mechanical equipment.
History & Culture: 7
Click the following links to learn more about the people , and places in and around the Iron Works.
Nature
Ecology; Nature & Science: 8
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site preserves the cultural and natural history of the first successfully integrated manufacturing facility for the production of cast and wrought iron in North America.
The historic structures of the Iron Works are nestled along the banks of the Saugus River, an important natural resource for newly-settled families and workers to the area during the 17th century.
The Saugus River and Turning Basin are fundamental features of the historic landscape. The tidally influenced river is a natural resource for the wide variety of plants, animals, and other organisms that depend on the river, riparian woodlands, and surrounding marshes as an important habitat.
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site has high biodiversity. The site contains over two hundred species of plants, 74 species of birds, 11 species of mammals, 4 species of reptiles and amphibians, and at least 11 species of fish.
Despite the small size of Saugus Iron Works, the river and other resources support numerous and interesting species that can be seen by visitors.
The Northeast Temperate Network, part of the National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring program, is active at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. Follow the links below to learn more about the Inventory and Monitoring Program, and specifically about the work being done here at Saugus.
Animals: 9
Numerous species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles rely on the Saugus River. Additionally, the surrounding wetlands and the riparian woodlands within the park serves as an important refuge to thrive and reproduce. Some animals are seen for brief periods, while others make the historic site their home throughout the year.
Places to explore
Places To Go: 10
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site is a reconstruction of Hammersmith, the first successful, sustained, and integrated iron works in British North America. The site includes the reconstructed blast furnace, forge, slitting mill, and warehouse, together with the original slag pile and several post-Hammersmith era structures.
Park Hours May 7 - November 13 Park Grounds and Nature Trail Open 24/7 Visitor Center Wednesday - Sunday 9:30 am - 4:00 pm Saugus Iron Works Museum Wednesday - Sunday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm Industrial Site Buildings Wednesday - Sunday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm Restrooms Wednesday - Sunday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Monday - Tuesday 9:30 am - 3:00 pm (Closed Monday Federal Holidays) Waterwheel Demonstrations
Saugus Iron Works National Historic site has a visitor center located within the Iron Works House annex and a Museum a short walk away. Find maps, explore exhibits, watch the park film, and shop at a traditional park store!
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (14)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Area Map - Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
People · People — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- February 16, 2022
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Places · Places — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- February 16, 2022
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Ecology; Nature & Science · Nature & Science — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- July 9, 2016
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Animals · Animals — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- February 16, 2022
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Places To Go · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Saugus Iron Works NHS
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.