Biking

"In the field" railroad history adventures...

Friday, December 7, 2018

South Troy - Upper Burden Iron Works


Being intrigued by the vastness of the ruins of the Burden Iron Works I explored yesterday, I decided to return to South Troy on my way back home today and try to sniff out some of the Upper Burden Iron Works along the Wynants Kill.

I decided to warm up downtown with a pub lunch - the local Irish Stout - Rare Form Fudge Fantasy was pretty good!
Another example of the wonderful old ornate building in Troy 
Lunch!
"Pills and Granules"
Now that's medicine!

I then drove over to Burden Pond to try to find vestiges of the old factories, etc. Sadly it wasn’t as productive as yesterday :-( Was it the 2nd Stout or the ridiculously cold nasty wind?.

I made my way down the Wynants Kill from the Burden Pond Dam and did manage to see a few ruins tucked away along the edge of the river.
Burden Pond Dam
The Wynants Kill descends rapidly and parallels Mill Rd.
“Smart Pond Dam*”
* The site helped explain a bit of what I saw.
(See Narrows site photo in comparison)

Once I parked near the Burden Ave Bridge at the Speedway Gas Station and looked up river, I saw what little is left of the Iron Works...
Old Foundation walls highlighted
Wall, Overhead Pipe, etc.
Can't miss this!!! 

Looking west (downstream of the bridge)
The maps I found online were confusing but an explanation on Hoxsie straightened this out:
"The Wynantskill has been straightened out a bit, with the removal of that oxbow on which much of the works was built. Burden's Pond remains, as does the Woodside church just above the Oxbow. Factory buildings once lined the kill, but barely a trace of them remains today."
The blue arch indicates the approximate old route of the kill
(see map below)
Source
Arrow Points North!!
Source

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