Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 17 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
...time has no beginning and history has no bounds
As to this verdant country they came from all around
They sailed upon the waterways and they walked the forests tall
Built the mines, mills, and the factories for the good of us all”
Gordon Lightfbot
Verdant country...though Lightfoot penned this description in tribute to his beloved Canada, that vision certainly applies to Rappahannock County and (as yet) some of its surrounds. Sailing our waterways problematic? True, but paddling is not. Forests tall? Not what they once were, but some pretty decent second and third growth exists. And mines, mills, and factories? At one time or another, many such industries served the ‘good of all’ in the Blue Ridge and its environs.
One of the region’s most fascinating industries rolled mine, mill, factory, and verdant countryside into one giant interconnected conglomeration. Iron. Even now the name evokes an image of power, strength, and industrial achievement. As we moved toward modern ways iron was an essential material for fabrication of all kinds of stuff: wheel rims, tools, stoves, and lots of other goodies of the early Industrial Revolution.
Tbugh to envision now, but a gracious helping of the American ‘iron age’ went on almost in our back yard. In the process, lots of resources were consumed and many environmental problems ensued. And in a precursor to one of the major problems of today, extraordinary (and unsustainable) levels
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