HISTORY
A Wrought Iron Mystery! Historian discovers the truth about George Washington legend
A historical mystery of wrought iron drew researcher Ann Howell to Wilmington – and led her to rewrite a bit of the Port City’s architectural history.!
The whole quest, however, began with a lawn jockey.
Howell, a Philadelphia-based
sociologist and independent scholar, had been hired some years ago by a patriotic group commemorating George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. Its members wanted to get to the bottom of a legend that lawn jockeys – those little metal statues once used as hitching posts and, later, as 20th-century lawn ornaments – honored the memory of a little boy who froze to death on Christmas night, 1776, while holding the reins of Gen. Washington’s horse.
It didn’t take Howell long to prove the legend had no basis in fact. (Neither did another legend – that jockey statues, with faces painted black, originally marked sympathetic households on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves.)
Her research, however, uncovered something else: A Philadelphia foundry, operated by industrialist Robert Wood (1813-1887), shipped ornamental ironwork across the United States, including to Wilmington. Using shipping and customs records, Howell proved that Wood supplied much of the city’s ornamental iron.
Howell presented her findings in a talk last week at the New Hanover County Public Library, co-sponsored by the Historic Wilmington Foundation.
Her work is significant, said local historian Janet Seapker, because nobody knew where much of Wilmington’s ornamental iron had originated... (more)
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Yes, you always called it "wrought iron"!.
But where does the word wrought comes from?
And the answer is: the word “wrought” is the old past tense of the verb "to work". As irregular past-tense forms in English have historically been phased out over long periods of time, wrought became worked. So... Wrought iron literally means Worked iron!
Interested in finding more historical informations on the world of Wrought Iron?
Check out the newly revamped WIAC, The Wrought Iron Advisory Centre, provided by our English friends at The Real Wrought Iron Company, specialized suppliers of genuine wrought iron. And for more info, don't forget to check out Wikipedia, the global encyclopedia made by the users for the users, with a detailed history on the different stages regarding the manufacturing of our beloved metal (and supplying the beautiful image above, the roof of the Euston Station in London in 1837).
Take a look here: Wrought iron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Unique Wrought Iron Escutcheon sets World Record Price in US Auction!
A rare and unique wrought-iron escutcheon in the form of an Indian head was the surprise hit of noted Pennsylvania auctioneers Pook and Pook's Jan. 7 auction.
Conservatively estimated at $5,000 to $7,000, the small piece of wrought iron sailed past its estimate to a final hammer price of $42,120, setting a world-record price for an iron escutcheon in the process.
Escutcheons are small decorative plates used to cover keyholes, or in modern times light switches. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was popular for blacksmiths to mold these small decorative accessories into the family arms or other decorative motifs. The Indian Head design of this particular escutcheon appears to be unique.
The escutcheon came from the private collection of James and Sally Sorber and had previously been illustrated in Antique Iron: Survey of American and English Forms--Fifteenth Through Nineteenth Centuries by Peter, Nancy and Herbert Schiffer. Its rarity and impeccable provenance resulted in spirited bidding, with noted Connecticut dealer David Schorsch winning the escutcheon on behalf of a client.
November 12th 2005
It's Ironews.com FIFTH ANNIVERSARY! And it's dedicated to our loyal readers from all over the world! Thank YOU!
Yes, we were born in the middle of the Internet financial Bubble... but good content is always here to stay!
Time to take a look back and revisit the milestones we have achieved... (our readers will forgive this moment of self-indulgence! :-)
First one: the 500 daily visitors mark, achieved in late November 2001
Then... the LEGENDARY ANVILMAN.. and if you haven't seen him already.. go straight and take a look!
The few words written on the evening of 9/11... not anymore on line, but you can read them here
The Convenient Catalogue.. another milestone in the Wrought Iron World.. and you can still request it here
Our partnership with Arteferro.com and the launch of Ironews.com Exclusive Store
What next? Well, we don't make any promises but... the only limit is the sky! And see you on Ironews Tenth Anniversary!
Iron-making in the past: The "metal of heaven"
It's not known when human beings first discovered how to smelt iron ore to produce useable iron. The oldest-known iron objects, found at two sites on the banks of the Nile, are beads made of iron derived from meteorites, which date from around 6,000 years ago.
Meteoric iron was widely known throughout the ancient world, where it was cold-worked (if it didn't break in the process) to produce spear tips, cylinder seals and ornaments. The Egyptians even called iron the 'metal of heaven' because of its association with meteorites.
More costly than gold!
The first known smelted iron objects date from around 3000 BC and appeared in increasing numbers throughout the Near and Middle East during the next millennium. Iron remained extremely expensive, though – more costly than gold – and its use was largely restricted to prestigious ceremonial or ritual objects until the latter half of the second millennium BC. Even then, it did not replace bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) as the metal of choice for weapons and tools.
It was not until around 1200-1000 BC that iron working became widespread with the onset of what we now call the Iron Age in the Near and Middle East. The switch from bronze to iron was probably triggered by disruptions to the supply of tin.
Once established, the use of iron was to revolutionise the ancient world, not least in terms of weaponry. By the end of the second millennium BC, for example, the Greeks had developed the technique of 'carburisation'..
By the end of the second millennium BC, for example, the Greeks had developed the technique of 'carburisation' – adding carbon to iron – to harden iron weapons by heating them over charcoal. The armies that made best use of the new technology – in protective armour as much as in swords and other weapons – went on to dominate their enemies.
Iron Ages
The 'Iron Age' did not begin everywhere at the same time. Those who understood how to carry out the apparently magical transformation of stone into metal tried to keep their secrets for as long as they could. Iron working didn't spread beyond the Middle East and Mediterranean until much later than it first appeared there.
Wrought iron
With the exception of China, virtually all of the iron produced before the 14th century was what we know as wrought iron. This is produced by heating iron ore in a furnace, so that the ore is 'reduced' (the oxygen forced out of the raw iron oxide).
Impurities in the ore must also be removed by 'slagging', whereby a high enough temperature has to be reached in the furnace to liquify and remove as much of the slag as possible. The resulting 'iron sponge' or 'bloom' is then worked by heating in a forge and repeatedly hammering and folding the heated product to force out the remaining slag and consolidate the pure iron.
Steel
The wrought iron produced in this way still contains a proportion of slag and other impurities. But the process leaves a very low carbon content, which means that the iron cannot be hardened to the same extent as steel (which is iron containing about 0.3-1.2% carbon).
Early ironworkers, however, discovered that they could get a much tougher product by heating wrought iron on a bed of charcoal and then quenching it in water or oil. This resulted in a steel coating that made the end product both harder and less brittle.
Stumbling into the future
The early ironworkers understood none of the physics and chemistry involved in producing workable iron and steel. They learnt by trial and error, were fiercely protective of what they knew and often mixed together practical techniques with ritualistic fantasy. They stumbled across the production of steel haphazardly and inconsistently. Knowing nothing about the role of carbon in producing hardened steel, they nonetheless managed it simply because they used (carbon-rich) charcoal to heat their ore.
The techniques that they discovered laid the foundations for the bigger and better blast furnaces of the industrial revolution. Ultimately, the 'metal of heaven' was to transform life on earth.
Wrought Iron Mystery solved! Tour Eiffel misterious mathematical equilibrium described
An American engineer has produced a mathematical model explaining the elegant shape of the Eiffel Tower that was derived from French engineer Gustave Eiffel's writings regarding his own fears about the effects of wind on such a structure.
University of Colorado Professor Patrick Weidman said Eiffel, one of the premier structural engineers in history, was determined to build the world's first tower reaching 300 meters, the nearest metric equivalent to 1,000 feet, into the sky. The tower was designed to be the centerpiece of the World's Exposition in Paris, marking the centennial of the French Revolution.
The tower is composed of four arched, wrought iron legs tapering inward to form a single column that rises to 300 meters, or 986 feet. The project included 50 engineers and designers (who produced 5,300 blueprints), 100 ironworkers (who produced 18,038 individual pieces for assembly) and 121 construction workers (who used 2.5 million rivets).
"Eiffel was worried about the wind throughout his building career," said Weidman of the CU-Boulder mechanical engineering department. "Although he was astoundingly bright, he was forced to rely on practical experience rather than mathematical calculations to estimate the effects of wind forces on structures." But there was still a need to explain mathematically the incredible results obtained by Eiffel.. and it took more than one hundred years to understand them!
For a complete review of the mathematical aspects of builing such a complex tower and the related architectural issues, check the original papers from Colorado University.
Wrought Iron history may be closer than you think.. check it out at the National Register of Historic Places!
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States of America's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Authorized in 1966, the National Register is part of a program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, engineering, and culture (ever heard there's an Iron County in Utah? Take a look at their historical places!) The National Register is administered by the National Park Service of the United States and provides you the ability to search statewide for historical places of interest. Think you might be eligible? Take a look at the criteria for evaluation and check the great historical places of your State.
A look back in History: the early use of Wrought Iron as building material
Metal's application to buildings began as an essential decorative or practical role rather than structural...
Wrought iron nails, hinges and othernecessary components were the most common forms but lead and copper were also used for roof coverings. More skilled use of wrought iron was made in the provision of decorative elements of buildings but the strutural use of iron only began in the late 18th century with english Iron-Master Abraham Darby first Iron Bridge, made entirely of iron arches and ribs cast in a foundry and transported to the building site for assembly. Although this advertised iron's remarkable architectural capabilities few architects designed buildings constructed entirely of this material. Transporting and erecting large cast iron sections was both expensive and labourious.
Smaller items, such as solid or hollow iron columns, did find widespread application from the 1770s onwards. Their use reduced the need for heavy load-bearing internal walls or masonry piers and could be assembled quickly by unskilled labour. However, even when it was used it was common for the iron work to be concealed by other, traditional materials.
In textile mills of the early 19th century the use of iron beams and columns made it possible to increase the useful floor area. Although the exterior walls of the building were constructed in brick or stone masonry, the use of non-combustible iron in the interior also reduced the threat of fire, making it popular for a wide variety of new builings in the 19th century..keep reading.
National Ornamental Metal Museum celebrates his twenty-fifth anniversary!
Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the National Ornamental Metal Museum is the only museum in America dedicated exclusively to the exhibition and preservation of fine metalwork! 
The Museum's changing exhibits range from jewelry and sculpture by the finest contemporary metal artisans to displays of medieval armor and 3rd century swords.
In the Museum Smithy, staff blacksmiths may be working on anything from bronze leaves for the Oklahoma state capitol building to a statue of Elvis Presley. And visitors are always welcome!
A fine place for a family picnic, a party, or a wedding, the incredible Riverbluff Pavillion offer a spectacular view of the Mississippi River, a view which was described by writer Mark Twain as "the finest between Cairo and New Orleans".
JohnDeere.com: a global company founded by a genial Blacksmith!
The Story of John Deere
In 1825, he began his career as a journeyman blacksmith and soon gained considerable fame for his careful workmanship and ingenuity. His highly polished hay forks and shovels especially were in great demand throughout western Vermont. 
But business conditions in Vermont became depressed in the mid-1830s, and the future looked gloomy for the ambitious young blacksmith. Many natives of Vermont emigrated to the West, and the tales of golden opportunity that filtered back to Vermont so stirred John Deere's enthusiasm that he decided to dispose of his business and join the pioneers.
After traveling many weeks he reached the village of Grand Detour, Illinois, which had been settled by Leonard Andrus and others from his native Vermont. The need for a blacksmith was so great that two days after his arrival in 1836 he had built a forge and was busy serving the community....... (continues on page Two)
The Yellin family keeps legendary "greatest living craftsman in iron" legacy alive!
Who was the greatest blacksmith ever?
Well, according to an article recently published by the Philadelphia Enquirer 9 out of 10 enthusiasts would surely come up with just one name: Samuel Yellin
Born in Poland in 1885, Samuel Yellin apprenticed to a master metalworker at the age of 9 and became a master himself at 18. His mentor called him "the devil with a hammer in his hand."
He settled in Philadelphia in 1905 and soon launched his remarkable career. Over three decades, his shop at 55th and Arch Streets produced decorative metalwork for universities, museums, churches, public buildings, and the private residences of such capitalist titans as J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt and Henry Clay Frick.
Yellin designed and executed all of the decorative ironwork for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's main building in the 1920s. Fashioning 200 tons of wrought iron in the Florentine style kept 100 of Yellin's employees on the bank job for two years...... (continues on page Two)
