Amenia officially accepts gift of restored 1825 charcoal kilns

WASSAIC — Under sunny morning skies on the eve of July 4 Independence Day celebrations, a long-anticipated gift to the town of the historic Wassaic Charcoal Kilns became official. The transfer of the two restored 19th century stone kilns is now official after an on-site ceremony on Thursday, July 3.

The kilns, expertly restored by local resident Bernie Leighton, have been transferred to the town as a gift from Eric Bommer, owner of the Deep Hollow Preserve adjacent to the property.

Noting that 2025 marks the Bicentennial of the kilns that were built in 1825 by Noah Gridley, Town Historian Betsy Strauss invited everyone to plan to visit the site to learn more about the kilns and their importance to the early history of Amenia and the iron industry that thrived throughout the region.

“This is an historic place and this is an historic day,” “Three years ago, you would not have been able to see the kilns,” said Strauss, addressing an enthusiastic gathering of residents who witnessed the historic occasion.

“Noah was ‘the father of Wassaic,’” Strauss said. Noah had come to Amenia from the nearby town of North East. His father’s work was also within the charcoal industry. Noah’s one-of-a-kind kilns stood near Furnace Bank Road that led to the smelting furnace situated next to Wassaic Creek.

There are no kilns of this type and design anywhere in North America.

A sign detailing the history of the charcoal kilns and the recent restoration now stands at the site of the historic kilns on Deep Hollow Road just off Route 22 in Wassaic. The sign and restoration were part of an effort by the Amenia Historical Society and Bernie Leighton, who cleaned up the site and restored the kilns.Photo provided

Strauss thanked Eric Bommer for the gift and Bernie Leighton for his long years of diligent labor and care in 2022 and 2023.

Leighton spoke briefly, pleased that the site could be restored and saved.

Termed the kilns “the great pyramids of Amenia,” Town Supervisor Leo Blackman recalled first coming to Amenia.

“The area appealed to me,” Blackman said, noting that he saw the vestiges of industry in Wassaic, attractive to him because of his profession as a preservation architect.

“I watched the renovation of the kilns,” Blackman said, expressing gratitude to Leighton for his work.

“Betsy is tenacious and wonderful,” Blackman said in praise of Strauss. “I love the sign,” he added, noting that Betsy had researched and created the historic sign at the site to inform visitors about the kilns and the industry they supported.

“I’m honored to be standing here,” Blackman said.

“There would be no Wassaic without the Gridleys,” Strauss said. The railroad came in 1851, thanks to convincing Cornelius Vanderbilt to build the line to Wassaic.

Gail Borden came to take advantage of the railroad line. By 1887, the area’s iron industry was ending. Dairy farms had taken over, leading Borden to situate his plant nearby to manufacture condensed milk, a process he invented.

According to Blackman, the final approval before the transfer could take place came from the state environmental officials determining whether the ash deposits throughout the area were toxic, but as the site work has not disturbed the subsurface, approvals were issued.

Following the ceremony, Blackman commented that when the kilns were operating, the trees were pretty much gone, having been harvested for charcoal. Most of the oak trees in the area today have sprouted from oak stumps.

Leighton recalled that his work was to clear away the overgrown brush and vines and even remove trees from the site, long overgrown. He had to reset the stones in the kilns that he found were held in place by soil as mortar, giving rise to much of the overgrowth. He used an additional 15 tons of rock to make the repairs and 400 bags of concrete. There is an inner lining of rock and concrete within each kiln. He said he added shards of stone for stabilization.

“We want people to know the site is now open to the public,” Strauss said. The site will be open between April 1 and November 15 each year, from sunrise to sunset.

Everyone is encouraged to visit the site located on Deep Hollow Road just off Route 22, Strauss said. Individuals and any groups are welcome. School tours can be arranged.