Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/20/1984
NRHP Listing Date 05/15/1984
NRHP Reference Number 84003598
The Accokeek Iron Furnace was constructed ca. 1726 on land owned by Augustine Washington, father of George Washington. Washington Sr. had a lease agreement with the Principio Company which constructed the furnace. The industry operated until 1756. The site represents the second oldest 18th-century iron-blast furnace site identified in Virginia. Archaeological remains at Accokeek should include evidence of its store, warehouses, mill, and forge as well as worker living quarters. The identified archaeological deposits include the furnace location, the mill wheel pit and races, a retaining wall made of slag, an extensive slag debris dump, and mine pits. Verified 18th-century industrial sites are rare in Virginia, and a thorough investigation of Accokeek could increase knowledge of early iron technology. In 1996 the site was acquired from Stafford County by Kenmore Plantation and Gardens.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 15, 2018
