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December 11th, 2009 What in the Woods is That?

What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Archeological Ruin

This archeological ruin was photographed in a yellow-birch/hard maple stand near the top of a mountain in southern Vermont. It’s not a cellar hole. For a hint, consult the winter 2009 issue of Northern Woodlands magazine.

Archeological Ruin Image

Answer

A charcoal kiln.

This charcoal kiln was constructed in the mid eighteen hundreds to service the Henry Burden & Sons iron works. Sooty-faced colliers packed the kiln with birch and maple, then reduced it to charcoal in about a week’s time. The charcoal was brought to a smelting plant in Shaftsbury, Vermont, where iron ore was smelted into pig iron. This raw material was then shipped to Troy, New York via a private rail spur on the Rutland and Bennington Railroad. The iron was used in any number of applications, including horseshoes for the Union Cavalry in the Civil War.

If you haven’t read the article by Hugh Canham on the wood chemical industry in our winter issue, please do.

Thanks to Andrew Crosier for sharing this great photo.

This week’s contest winner was Monica Kulp of Berlin VT

© by the author; this article may not be copied or reproduced without the author's consent.

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