Burden Iron Works Museum

Learn about the industrial and labor history of 19th-century Troy in this introduction to the Burden Iron Works Museum. Susan Ouellette, Executive Director, talks about how entrepreneurs in Troy developed a machine for creating horseshoes that won them a no-bid contract to make shoes for the six million (!) horses and mules in the Union Army during the 1860’s. She also highlights the importance of capturing the labor history of South Troy, including the efforts of people who worked at the Burden Ironworks (which smelted the iron ore) and the Mahoney Iron Works (which fabricated that iron into decorative wrought iron railings and other architectural details). Susan explains how local activists formed the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway to purchase the then-decrepit administrative building of the Burden Iron Company. The renovated museum is now open for tours. Also hear about a descendant of the Burdens who will be coming to Troy to talk about her work as the first woman ferrier to put shoes on horses at major race tracks. For more information, visit hudsonmohawkgateway.org. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.