Discover Delmarva: Furnace Town

SNOW HILL, Md- Furnace Town in Snow Hill is an interactive outdoor museum with local artisans who help bring the town to life. We got to tour some of the historical buildings that originate from all over Worcester County. Starting in the tiny spin house that would often fit seven to twelve family members-
and the gorgeous Old Nazareth Church just down the path.

We eventually stumbled upon the Wood Shop where we met Woodworker Dennis Handley, who uses some of the oldest tools I’ve ever seen!”Like this one here, it’s the oldest tool in here. At one time, it had a seat you could sit on and you would pedal it.” The tools were cool, but I asked Handley what the everyday use was for something like this back in the 1800s. “Bowls, plates, spindles, like most kids come here I ask them what was made on it. They say I don’t know. Baseball Bats, that’s what they were made of years ago.”

Out the window, I noticed some smoke filling the air. Where Blacksmith Larry Furst was prepping his shop for the day, “Everything in this shop is as close as you’ll find to an original mid-1800s shop.” Furst showed us the process of creating a hook just like they would in the 1800s. Working with metal that was bending like playdough each time through the fire. With the blink of an eye, he had turned an ordinary piece of metal into a gorgeous hook over the open fire.

Weaving also played a huge role here in the town, where Nancy Hendricks showed us some of the nearly 300-year-old tools she still works with today! Of course, Furnace Town gets its name from the massive Nasswango Iron Furnace that was used to make pig iron during the 19th century. All the iron smelted here would eventually make its way to the Chesapeake Bay. Most importantly no town is complete without a school, and Kathy Schmidt-Roche showed us around the Mt Zion Schoolhouse. With a ladle of drinking water, a wooden stove for heat, and chalkboards
It’s a blast from the past during your time here!

Furnace Town is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. They offer monthly Artisan Days and a variety of other special events in the coming weeks. For more information on their upcoming event schedule and to plan your visit, check out their website.