LITCHFIELD, Conn.—The White Memorial Conservation District is hosting an education event exploring the history of charcoaling industry in the region, which fueled the iron industry for nearly two centuries. The program will be presentedThursday, Oct. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at 80 Whitehall Road.
Lunch is included with the program.
The program looks into the history behind the large raised circular mounds frequently seen by hikers in Northwest Connecticut, which are the remnants of historic 19th-century charcoal production sites.
The program will be presented by local historians Peter and Barbara Rzasa, who will describe the history behind the circular mounds sometimes encountered by hikers in the Northwest Corner. These 40-foot-wide circles are the remains of charcoal hearths on which colliers burned logs to create charcoal used to power Connecticut’s nineteenth century iron, steel, and brass industries.
Charcoal burners, called colliers, arranged the cut wood into particular patterns up to 15 feet tall, covered the logs with leaves and dirt, and then set fire to the mound so that the wood would bake. After 10 to 15 days, the resultant charcoal was raked out, cooled and transported by carts along charcoal roads to industrial buyers.
Each hearth contained small remnants of 100 to 150-year-old charcoal. Evidence of colliers’ shelters and cooking hearths has also been found. Stonewalls and charcoal hearths are considered archaeological artifacts of past agricultural, industrial and forestry history, but unlike stonewalls, few people are aware of charcoal hearths.
Peter Rzasa earned his B.S. degree in forest chemistry from S.U.N.Y. College of Environmental Science. Barbara Rzasa obtained a B.S degree in art from Southern Connecticut State University and is a retired graphic designer who uses her artistic skills to create nature-based watercolor paintings. The Rzasas’ goal is to encourage people, especially children, to look more closely at our natural and historical world and to become more aware of its hidden wonders.
Check program availability and receive updates here.
