DRAFT: REVOLUTIONARY WARwick (Orange County, NY)
STERLING IRON WORKS DOCUMENTS
Hathorn Letter regarding exemption of Sterling Company men from service
Transcription of Letter of John Hathorn regarding men exempted at Sterling Forge, Theodorus Myers Bailey Collection, New York Public Library
Warwick 19th July 1779 Sir/ By the Late General Order I find there is great Deficiencies in the Levies raised for the defence of this State, on Enquiry I find that those from my Regiment have Joined Excepting four or Five, Two whereof was ordered from the Sterling Company Quotaed on the Return made me from Capt. Townsend which return was made toYour Excellency. On Enquiry, I found every man of that Company Was Exempted from Service by the Militia Law, as being all Forgemen. On Questioning Townsend he declared he was not acquainted With the law, as the Words had been Exempted from any service—
Iron on hand at the Sterling Iron Works, Dec. 1778
Letter of Peter Townsend in response to query about available iron, as contract for the Great Chain was being considered.
List of Men and Skills Needed at Sterling, April 1777
Men needed at Sterling
Petition of Noble and Townsend, including list of how many men and what skill level.
Anatomy of a Blast Furnace
STERLING IRON WORKS: CHALLENGING TERRAIN
The high quality iron ore deposits in the Sterling region attracted the attention of the English settler colonists early. By the 1
750s a furnace was in operation at the southern end of the Long Pond (Greenwood Lake/Warwick/Hewitt). Much of the historical Sterling Ironworks land is now included in Sterling Forest State Park, which straddles the New York-New Jersey border.
By the time of the Revolution, the Sterling operation was owned and operated by Peter Townsend and Abel Noble.
The area surrounding the mines and furnaces was rugged mountains and sparsely settled as a result. As the war began It was recognized that access to and from the mines would be essential. In November 1776, Henry Wisner III (son of John) was overseer of a crew improving the roadway to the mines, at the direction of his uncle Henry Wisner I, who acted on behalf of the Provincial Convention. In January 1778, Henry III submitted a payment request and list of men to whom moneys were due, for the work:
"The above men Work’d faithfully on the Road above mentioned Dureing the time above specified of which I had the charge--- Henry Wisner third overseer" (New York State miscellaneous collection. Manuscripts and Archives 
Division. The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations)
The physical challenge of the terrain and difficulty patrolling and controlling it meant that this corridor became a porous border for Loyalists and spies travelling between British occupied New York City and points north. These mountains were also the territory of a Loyalist group of raiders led by Claudius Smith.
The Sterling Company of Hathorn's Regiment
The men working at Sterling needed to be constantly vigilant, and exhibited strong individuality and independent spirit early on. Keeping men that had essential skills and were willing to endure the conditions proved difficult.
The Sterling Company of Hathorn's regiment of militia were drawn from the Sterling and Greenwood Lake area, or those recruited in from elsewhere that had forge related skills.
TOWNSEND AND NOBLE: QUAKER CONNECTED PATRIOTS
Both of the owners of the Sterling Works during the Revolution were of Quaker connected families. As such, we do not know if they followed the rules against
violence or bearing weapons, yet their lack of military service documents seems to indicate that they did. The New York Convention exempted Quakers from military service upon payment of a fee, but often viewed them with suspicion. There were a few “Free Quakers” who did take up arms, such as Col. John Hathorn.
Peter Townsend was connected to the famous Oyster Bay Long Island family, noted for involvement of some members in the famous Culper Spy Ring. Abel Noble was of the prominent Bucks County, Pennsylvania Quaker family. The Townsend and Noble families were related by marriage (see The Sterling Furnace and the West Point Chain by Donovan)
Works at Sterling and Offices at Chester
During the war the huge, dirty, and noisy Sterling Iron operation in the mountains was managed both on-site and at Peter Townsend's home office in the Village of Chester.
Loud complaints from the Sterling proprietors, 1776
The Sterling works owners knew that their iron would be essential; they did a vigorous expansion of the works in May & June 1776 and advertised their services. By August they were in service to the Continental Army, but were not immune from having supplies and men commandeered by the officers— even food for the iron workers was “shifted” to the troops. William Hawxhurst, a manager in the business, complained siphoning off of supplies and men by the military:
"Aug. 8, 1776 To the Honourable House of Convention of the Representatives of the State of NEW YORK:
The Memorial of Abel Noble and Peter Townsend… (we) have made a Contract for making Anchors, Steel and broad Bar…for the Continental Service which were to be made with all possible expedition.. But unfortunately…the Men of Wars’ arrival up the North River have occasioned the country to raise the Militia whereby the workmen and Labourers and taken from the said works…That your Memorialists had barrels of Pork, one Hundred Bushes of Pease, five Hogsheads of Tobacco…for the use of the people employed at the said works which Provisions the Militia have taken
40 Barrels of Pork 75 Bushels of Peas and 3 Hogsheads of Tobacco by means of all which and the loss of Time already sustained your memorialists are unable to perform their Contract this season unless your Honours shall give them Relief, by discharging the workmen and Labourers from the said Militia, and supplying them with the like Quantity of Pork Peas and Tobacco as have been taken from them…” Wm. Hawxhurst
The Convention of New York had just the day before instructed Henry Wisner and a committee to determine how many of the Sterling artificers were to be exempt from military service. Townsend and Noble reiterated their consternation later in the month:
"Aug. 22, 1776 To the Honourable House of Convention of the Representatives of the State of NEW YORK:
The Petition of ABEL NOBLE and PETER TOWNSEND, Proprietors of STIRLING Iron Works, humbly showeth: That your petitioners having contracted to make about sixteen tons of large anchors, eighteen tons of bar iron, and five tons of steel, for the Continental service, have, for the making the said anchors, constructed a new anchor work, as the bellows and cranes of the old works were not sufficient for the wroughting of anchors of twenty-seven and thirty hundred weight; but forasmuch as the artificers and labourers have been and still are liable to be draughted out of the Militia, your petitioners will not be able to perform their contract unless the said artificers and labourers are protected from serving in the said Militia: Your petitioners therefore most humbly pray that your Honours will be pleased to grant a protection to so many artificers and labourers as are mentioned in the schedule hereto annexed, from serving in the said Militia, until the said contract shall be performed, and also to the number of hands mentioned in the said schedule for carrying on the furnace, which is now under blast, and which must unavoidably stop unless such protection be granted. And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c.
ABEL NOBLE,
PETER TOWNSEND"
THE GREAT CHAIN
The manufacture of the chain that crossed the Hudson in 1778 involved several elements: blast furnaces to melt the ore and extract iron, a forge, and a site to connect the short lengths of chain once brought to the river.
The site of the actual forge that made the links-- kept secret so the British would not attack the forge-- was eventually lost. It was rediscovered recently by Donald Bayne, deep in the forest.
A resource page on the Great Chain is available at: