METAL—

Metal is drawn from the earth and stone through heat.

 

Early metal use began with copper and gold found in the earth, which could be shaped without heat. Bronze was in use by 3000 BC.

Ironworking followed later, requiring higher heat and more complex firing methods. These developments mark what are now referred to as the Bronze Age and Iron Age.

 

The working of metal took place at the forge. Blacksmiths heated iron until it softened, then hammered it into shape on an anvil. Tools, blades, nails, fittings, and hardware were formed through repeated heating and striking. Control of heat and timing determined the strength and durability of the finished piece.

Furnaces and bellows maintained the temperatures required to draw iron from stone. Charcoal was used as fuel, and air was forced into the fire to increase heat.

Metal tools held sharper edges and greater durability than stone. Iron and steel replaced earlier materials in agriculture, construction, and warfare. Metal fastenings strengthened buildings. Blades and weapons altered the scale and efficiency of conflict.

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In colonial and early industrial New England, iron production developed near forests and waterways. Charcoal fueled furnaces, and water power drove bellows and hammers. Ironworks supplied tools, hardware, and components for shipbuilding and early industry.

Gold was also extracted from riverbeds and deposits during periods of intensified mining, including the 19th-century gold rushes in North America.

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