The Copake Iron Works Historic District

The Copake Iron Works was established in 1845 along the Bash Bish Brook at the base of the Taconic Ridge. In 2007, the Iron Works site and 18 acres surrounding the area were listed on the State and National Register of Historic Sites. The Copake Iron Works Historic District comprises all of the buildings in the Iron Works area, the historic blast furnace, three workers’ houses, and the now-flooded ore pit, as well as the previously National Register-listed Church of St. John in the Wilderness. The public is welcome and urged to visit the Copake Iron Works Historic District.

A brief but informative video on the history of the Copake Iron Works is available here:

History Advisory Board

Jim Mackin, President

Tom Ferguson, Vice-President

Deborah Cohen, Treasurer

Virginia Martin, Secretary

Brian Boom, Member at Large

Robin Bruce, Member at Large

Alexia Lalli, Member at Large

Milbrey Zelley, Member at Large

Bibliography: Links to Historic Reports

• Furnace Foundations, by Felicia Doughty Kingsbury (1951)
• The Copake Iron Works at Taconic State Park: A Report on its Historical Significance and Development Potential, by Gobrecht and Scofield
• Conditions/Assessment/Recommendations, by Cielo and Hitchens
• From Forest, To Company Town, and Back Again: Historical Archaeology at the Copake Iron Works, by Frederick E. Sutherland, Ph.D. candidate
• Fred Sutherland’s article, “Historic Railroads of Taconic State Park.”