“Unearthing Tredegar”: An Archaeological Treasure
Richmond, VA – Touch a piece of history as Tredegar is unearthed! Join
archaeologist Lyle Browning at the American Civil War Center at Historic
Tredegar, as he guides visitors through a slideshow and walking tour of the
Tredegar Iron Works from 2-4p.m. on Saturday, May 22, 2010, 500 Tredegar
Street.
Lyle E. Browning, president of Browning & Associates, Ltd., and director of
excavations for Falling Creek Iron Works, has a lifelong interest in
industrial archaeology and more specifically in iron facilities. His
lecture will include findings from a dig at Tredegar and will be
complimented by a walking tour of the site. Artifacts found during
excavation will be on hand to offer visitors a chance to see and touch what
was unearthed after the Foundry closed.
Founded in 1836, the Tredegar Iron Works was the South’s leading
manufacturer of rail, locomotive, and munitions during the Civil War. The
relocation of the Confederate capital in 1861 from Montgomery, Alabama to
Richmond, Virginia, was due in no small part to Tredegar’s prowess. After
the war, Tredegar flourished as a profitable business and, in 1873, employed
more than 1,200 employees. Later, Tredegar supported the military with
supplies for both World Wars I and II until most of the site destroyed by
fire in 1952. Today, only five buildings remain on what is now and 8.3-acre
site along the James in Richmond’s Riverfront District.
Participants of “Unearthing Tredegar” will view authentic Tredegar “slag”
remaining from years of iron melding on the site, a National Historic
Landmark. Exterior industrial artifacts will help to further interpret the
tools that were used by artisans on the site both pre- and post-Civil War.
For details on this event and upcoming programs at the Center, visit
www.tredegar.org or call (804) 780-1865 x10.
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The mission of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar is to tell
the whole story of the conflict that still shapes our nation.
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