Alexander Spotswood approached the iron business slowly and cautiously. An argument could be made that it was a secondary priority of his, land being the first priority. He explained to Col. Harrison that after Sir Richard Blackmore backed out of the iron project that he formed a partnership with several gentlemen to carry on the business. One of the objectives was to secure title to the iron mine land which was not done until 1720(NS). Earlier, he had approached the silver mine very cautiously and would not allow any work there until his legal share was clearly defined. Applying the same caution to the iron mine land, he probably did no work there until he had the title. This title (patent) was issued more than a year after the Germans had left and, presumably by the time they left, the mine was ready. During the year, Spotswood was looking for partners to help finance the iron operation and perhaps seeking the labor which would be needed. Apparently, he sought English labor to build and operate the furnace.
Some events in Virginia history help us with putting down the sequence of events. The Rev. Hugh Jones lived in Virginia from 1717 to 1722. When he returned to England, he published a book in London in 1724, The Present State of Virginia , in which he wrote about the iron project:
"This iron has been proved to be good, and it is thought, will come at as cheap a rate as any imported from other places; so that 'tis to be hoped Colonel Spotswood's works will in a small time prove very advantageous to Great Britain . ."
Thus, the furnace was reported to be in production by 1722, though the observer implies that the work was in a fledging state. Another event in 1722 makes that year seem like a turning point in iron production. The iron furnace was above the falls of the falls of the Rappahannock River and it was necessary to take the iron around the falls by land. Spotswood had his own private road for doing this. To gain access to the river so the iron could be transferred to ships, Spotswood purchased 2,000 acres along the river below the falls so he could build wharves to transfer the iron from land to the ships. Until he did this, he really had no way of taking the iron to market, whether it be in Virginia or to England.
In 1723, Lt. Governor Drysdale, Spotswood's successor as governor, wrote to the Board of Trade:
"I judge it part of my duty to inform your Ldspps. of an affair, that is at present the common Theme of people's Discourses, and employs their thought. Coll Spotswood's Iron workes: he had brought itt to that perfection that he now sells by public auction at Wm:burgh, backs and frames for Chymnies, Potts, doggs, frying, stewing and baking panns . ."
The tenor of this is that the iron works was a novelty in 1723. In this year it has been said that Spotswood shipped twenty tons of iron to England, but I am not aware of the original source for this statement. This would have been only a sample, as his later objective was to ship 1,200 tons each year.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.