Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 01/15/1995
NRHP Listing Date 03/29/1995
NRHP Reference Number 95000242
The Falling Creek Ironworks in Chesterfield County are acknowledged to be the first successful integrated iron production facility in English North America. From the earliest period of the Virginia venture, the exploitation of natural commodities was a principal objective of the Virginia Company of London. A party of workers succeeded in completing a portion of the ironworks in 1620 and produced a sample of iron that same year. During the Indian uprising of 1622, twenty-seven persons were slain at the ironworks, and the facility was destroyed. Operations were never re-established. Extensive documentation though various surveys and test excavations has determined that the Falling Creek Ironworks Archaeological Site is still relatively intact. Its various features, deposits, and artifacts hold important information on one of the nation’s earliest industrial sites.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: August 3, 2022
