Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia is where various implements of war were manufactured for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, the foundry made locomotives and machinery for sugar mills. During the Civil War, the foundry converted to a war footing and produced more than 1000 cannons, the iron plate siding for the CSS Virginia, and experimented with submarine and cannon design. Most of the building were destroyed by fire in 1952.
The main foundry building at Tredegar has become a National Historic Site and contains a museum focused on the role of the ironworks in the Civil War.
A view of the side of the iron foundry, this shows the sluiceway. Water was taken from the James River and run down to the mill through a sluiceway with a series of gates.
This is one of the five Francis type turbines used for power. The handwheel on the right controlled the amount of water going through the turbine. By controlling the amount of water, the speed of the output shaft was controlled. Power was transmitted into the foundry by belts connected between the turbines and the various pieces of machinery inside the building.
One of the pieces of machinery used at Tredegar was the “Bulldozer Press”. The modern day earth-moving machine derives its name from this press. This bulldozer press, made by Williams and White, shapes and straightens pieces of metal.
We got to sit down with President Lincoln and his son, Tad near the entrance to the ironworks.
The statue was a source of public debate in the old Southern Capitol. The proponents of the statue insisted that it was intended to show that the Union had been re-united, while opponents said that a statue of a well-known Southern patriot would be more appropriate.
To calm the debate, it was decided that the statue would be funded only by donations, using no public federal, state or local funds. But the Richmond City Council voted to contribute $45,000 towards the building of this tribute.
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