.png){kind=small}
Powered by History,
Forging the Future.
Join us in transforming the historic birthplace of America’s defense industry on the Rappahannock River into a lasting legacy of archaeological wonder, environmental stewardship, and civic inspiration.
Our Mission
The Historic Site Worth Protecting
-
Honor the Past — Discover the largest iron and gun manufacturing complex in Colonial America, the people who powered it, and its pivotal role in securing the Patriots’ Revolutionary War victory and the nation's freedom.
-
Protect the Future — Join a land preservation movement that saves endangered historic landscapes threatened by time, nature, and development.
-
Forge a Legacy — Support educational programs, ecological conservation, and heritage tourism to benefit today’s citizens and future generations alike.
The Historic Site Worth Protecting
Hunter’s Iron Works and Rappahannock Forge is more than a forty-acre historic landmark. It offers an extraordinary opportunity to discover America’s industrial beginnings, the birthplace of the nation’s defense industry, and the many people who shaped it. A designated .., signage where it once stood.
The Freedom Forge Foundation honors the legacy of James Hunter, a Revolutionary War hero who built the largest iron and gun manufacturing center in 18th-century North America alongside Quaker craftsmen, free blacks, and enslaved persons. Producing crucial guns and war materials for America's Continental Troops, Hunter’s Iron Works and Rappahannock Forge helped secure America's Revolutionary War victory, while James Hunter sacrificed his own fortune and future to advance the ideals of liberty and justice for all.
Historical and Archaeological Discovery
Supporting research and exploration to uncover the site’s hidden history.
Land Conservation
Protecting the historic landscape and its natural features for future generations.
Education and Engagement
Connecting communities with the site’s history and legacy through meaningful educational programs.
The Historic Site Worth Protecting
Hunter’s Iron Works and Rappahannock Forge is more than a forty-acre historic landmark. It offers an extraordinary opportunity to discover America’s industrial beginnings, the birthplace of the nation’s defense industry, and the many people who shaped it. A designated .., signage where it once stood.
The Freedom Forge Foundation honors the legacy of James Hunter, a Revolutionary War hero who built the largest iron and gun manufacturing center in 18th-century North America alongside Quaker craftsmen, free blacks, and enslaved persons. Producing crucial guns and war materials for America's Continental Troops, Hunter’s Iron Works and Rappahannock Forge helped secure America's Revolutionary War victory, while James Hunter sacrificed his own fortune and future to advance the ideals of liberty and justice for all.
