Museum

Museum display showing an original anvil base and hammer head

NPS Photo / Kevin Turausky

Quick Facts

Location:

Saugus, Massachusetts

Significance:

Contains artifacts from archaeological site excavations throughout the property

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Much of the Museum building was constructed during Wallace Nutting's ownership of the Iron Works House around 1917. The caretaker of the Iron Works House at that time, Edward Guy, was also a master blacksmith. Guy used this building as his blacksmith shop where he made reproduction iron pieces for Nutting and created other iron pieces for sale.

The Museum has two rooms full of exhibits and artifacts excavated during the archaeological dig performed on-site in the 1940s-1950s. See the original 17th century blast furnace waterwheel, an anvil base and hammer head from the original forge, and other tools and items from the 1600s. There are also some Native American artifacts on display that predate European settlement by thousands of years.

The Museum contains a theater which shows our park film, Iron Works on the Saugus, at the push of a button. The film is just over 12 minutes long, and is a great way to learn about the site!