The village of Foster Falls, named for an early settler and farmer at the location, was a product of the iron industry that flourished in the New River Valley of southwestern Virginia in the 19th and early 20th centuries.   An iron furnace at Foster Falls was constructed in 1881.   Soon thereafter, a railroad passenger-and-freight station was built in close proximity, leading other businesses to locate there. By 1895, Foster Falls had a population of 296, an elegant Victorian-style hotel, a post office, a gristmill and sawmill, a general store, a distillery, and about 100 houses.   In 1914, the furnace ceased operations, and five years later the hotel's ownership was transferred to the Abingdon Presbytery, to house an industrial school for young women.   In 1938, the school became a co-ed orphanage. By 1962, the buildings in Foster Falls had fallen into disrepair, and the children's home relocated to Wytheville.   Today, what remains of the village is a part of the New River Trail State Park.

Only a few farm buildings remain around the old town.

Corn crib

Foster Falls sits along the bank of the New River.

Rear of the old combined grist and saw mill

Vertical shot of same view, showing the now-dry mill race in the foreground.

Sluice gate for the mill raceway that powered the old mill.

Mill, from the other side. A more recent addition to the old mill is visible on the left.

Looking inside the grist mill

Iron Blast Furnace

Broken bosh, from the left side.

Iron furnace, left side

Old bricks with manufacturer's markings. (above and below)

Broken bosh from the other side.

Right side of the furnace.

The iron works in its heyday... I'm not sure if we're seeing stacks of pig iron, or the tremendous amount of wood required to keep these furnaces burning!

Overlooking the New River, the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower was built in 1807 to make ammunition for the early settlers.   It is one of the few remaining shot towers in the United States.   Lead from the nearby Austinville Mines was melted in a kettle atop the 75-foot tower and poured through a sieve, falling through the tower and an additional 75-foot shaft beneath the tower into a kettle of water.

Jackson Ferry Shot Tower

Door at rear base of the tower

The tower was closed, but I found an image online showing the view down the shaft from the base of the tower.

Shot-making process

1929 Postcard of the Shot Tower

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