Mine Hill iron-making complex, Roxbury

Mine Hill iron-making complex, Roxbury – Ashley Estep

The town of Roxbury is located in the state’s northwest corner in the Litchfield Hills. Once known as Shepaug, which means “rocky water,” the town was settled in 1713 as part of Woodbury and incorporated as Roxbury in 1796. By the middle of the 18th century, residents discovered valuable natural resources, including iron ore and granite, within town bounds and opened Mine Hill. There, they built a smelting furnace and a quarry. Today, Roxbury is known for its quiet tranquility and through the years has attracted a diverse assortment of residents including Seth Warner, Ethan Allen, Alexander Calder, Marilyn Monroe, and Arthur Miller.

Featured

Alexander Calder at Stegosaurus sculpture dedication

A World in Motion: Artist and Sculptor Alexander Calder

Most renowned for his invention of the mobile, an abstract sculpture that moves, Calder is considered a pioneer of kinetic art. …[more]

Learn More

Cothren, William. 1854. History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut, from the First Indian Deed in 1659. Waterbury, CT: Bronson Brothers. http://www.archive.org/stream/historyancientw01cothgoog#page/n6/mode/2up.
“Map - South Part of Litchfield Co., Connecticut from Page 214 & 215 of Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” 1893. https://flic.kr/p/bJyrbZ.
“Roxbury - WPA Architectural Survey.” 2015. Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. http://cslib.cdmhost.com/cdm/search/collection/p4005coll7/searchterm/Roxbury/field/towns/mode/exact/conn/and/order/title (May 21, 2015).
J.W. Lewis & Company. 1881. History of Litchfield County, Connecticut, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of the Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company. http://www.archive.org/stream/historyoflitchfi00jwle#page/n1/mode/2up.
Larned, Ellen. 1874. 1 History of Windham County, Connecticut. 1600-1760. Worcester,  MA: Ellen Larned. http://www.archive.org/stream/historywindhamc01larngoog#page/n10/mode/2up.
“Mine Hill.” 2012. Roxbury Land Trust. http://www.roxburylandtrust.org/minehill.html.
Green, Jeannine. 2011. Roxbury and Bridgewater. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia.