Chesterfield

Falling Creek, in between the bridges on Jefferson Davis Highway There is a plan to create a new park at Falling Creek Ironworks, a historic site and current wayside park at 6407 Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County.

Recently, the Times-Dispatch reported the ruins of a 17th century iron blast furnace built by some of the country’s first settlers were uncovered along the banks of Falling Creek.

According to a list of historic firsts in Chesterfield from the county’s website:
1619 - Falling Creek was the site of the first iron furnace in the New World.
1621 - Falling Creek was the site of the first lead mines in America.

A highway marker at the site also states that most of the workers at the ironworks were killed in March 22 of 1622 during an attack from local Native Americans. The ironworks were never able to get restarted successfully.

I visited the site today and could see that there is potential for a decent, but small park there. There is a stone bridge over the river (pictured) that had been worked on some time recently, but that’s about it. There is evidence of the potential for washouts along the creek banks, as happened in 2006. According to information on the Chesterfield website (see this .PDF) the funding for maintaining the park exists. A county broshure lists “Falling Creek Ironworks Park” as one of its featured attractions, along with the likes of the well-established Pocahontas State Park, Henricus and the Chesterfield Museum Complex. Will the recent findings help push up the county’s timetable?

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME HAPPIER THAN TO SEE THIS PARK DEVELOP. AS A KID LIVING IN BENSLEY VILLAGE, I BASICALLY WITH MY FRIENDS GREW UP ON FALLING CREEK. WE HAVE ACTUALLY SPENT THE NIGHT CAMPING OUT IN WHAT WAS THE REMAINDER OF ONE OF THE LARGE IRON OVAL PIPES. WE SWAM IN WHAT WE CALLED THE “DEEPHOLE” RIGHT AT THE WATER FALL. WHAT A PLACE FOR A KID TO GROW UP.
I HOPE THIS WORKS OUT.

Posted by on 03/04 at 09:13 PM