It's an iron blast furnace, circa 1771.

The pic was taken thru the grate in the little brick area. This is where the materials (ore, limestone, charcoal) were loaded into the furnace.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../153689179.jpg


This is the bottom of the furnace, where the molten iron comes out.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../153684329.jpg

Here's the exterior
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../153684241.jpg

The water wheel pressurized air in the big barel looking things on each side/top of the wheel, creating the blast air for the furnace.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../163120370.jpg

...and they've apparently got a chapel, complete with belfry, so you can pray that you don't get burned by molten iron.

Cool !!

No chapel, that whole building is the furnace and workspace. The unpainted wood "shed" section in the exterior pic is the building in the first pic with the load hole. The lower corrugated looking roof is the brick area, and the last little sticky-up part is the brick wall the pretty window in it.

Here's a good illustration of the whole works.

re-name them. I think it's probably that you uploaded them to the cellar previously and in the name of bandwith you should link to the existing photos except you can't find them.

jinx - good pictures and good text. Thanks.

No joy.
Can someone link them for me?
I'm just not that swuft.

I remember seeing the photos, But can't find. If in DO-Dads gone????

CottonBailer
 

I re-did the pix.
Had to leave one out, reached a limit.
Note the brick (left side, by the handle) in the 2nd pic for scale.

AinGot...
 

...NoLimits!
ha

There's a star at the bottom of that tube...

I think that's just a trick of the viewing angle.
I don't recall seeing that before.
The plaque said something about being made in Alabama.
The original post is still up. Click my handle and view all my posts.

Gussets to strengthen the the junction of the small cylinder to the plate over the end of the large cylinder.

Dude You could make that into like a Destroy-o-Bot !!
A STEAM powered Destroy-o-Bot !!!!!!

These pix don't really convey how massive this thing is. The nuts in the last pic are almost as big as your head.
(Oooh, I can see where *that* is going.)
We stood around it for almost an hour just looking at it and going *wow.*
There are railroad tracks that run into the bottom of it where the cart was rolled in before the cotton was squashed onto it and strapped down, we figger.
It really needs to be in a museum somewhere.