1903 Map of Franklin Furnace

About this map

The industrial and agricultural landscape of Sussex County is defined by a dense network of iron mining and complex rail transport at the turn of the century. Franklin Furnace and Franklin Junction serve as central hubs where the mineral wealth of Sterling Hill meets a convergence of major rail lines. The Wallkill River and Clove River wind through valleys partitioned by the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad and the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad, illustrating a period when every small settlement from Deckertown to Branchville was tied to the regional economy by steel rails.