Restoration work will be ongoing to the Saugus Ironworks blast furnace for the coming months/NPS file

A replica of a 17th century blast furnace at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts will be off limits for the coming months as a contractor works to replace aging and worn aspects of the structure.

The preservation and restoration work that began this week will continue through mid-summer as crews replace much of the charging bridge and casting shed roof of the blast furnace. This maintenance project will replace aging wooden beams, decking, and other elements to maintain and improve safety and condition of these structures, the park said in a release.

In 1646, the original blast furnace roared to life, lit with a 3,000-degree fire that was kept burning 24 hours a day for months at a time. The blast furnace is where bog ore was smelted to create cast iron "pig" bars, so named because liquid cast iron was fed from a larger trench into smaller trenches as a mother sow to suckling pigs. 

A substantial portion of the upper lawn and a perimeter around the blast furnace and casting shed will be fenced off for materials, equipment storage (including a large crane) and work area. The remaining unfenced lawn areas, entrances to the park and all other pathways through the park will remain open to the public unless construction activities require additional temporary closures to ensure safety. Work and access areas of the upper lawn will be protected with heavy landscape fabric and gravel placed on top of the turf to protect the lawn and archeological resources.

The work being performed will generate increased noise. Disruption will be minimized by having construction activity primarily take place Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.