The Johnson Foundry

[Luke Tierney]

This is a place to discuss the history of the Johnson Foundry. It’s a long and complex tale that stretches from before the Civil War into mid-century. The Johnson Foundry was at one point one of the largest employers in the area, and the Johnson family notably constructed the small congregational church near Palisade Avenue.

[ndembowski]

Someone recently auctioned off a civil war cannon that was forged in the Johnson Foundry. There is a great description:

http://jamesdjulia.com/item/4382-394/

[ndembowski]

The Lehman College Library has some treasures related to local history–auction pamphlets containing rare photos and maps, Reverend William Tieck’s papers, and bound sets of a periodical called “The Riverdale News”–a precursor to the Riverdale Press.  There are many noteworthy articles in these volumes.  Here is one about the Johnson Foundry.  I contains some interesting detail about the history of the foundry and explains how it ended up in Spuyten Duyvil.  Many thanks to Janet Munch, librarian at Lehman, for helping me navigate the many resources in their collection.

 

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