Maramec Iron Works in St. James, Missouri, may have officially ceased operations in 1878, but iron has still been produced at least the past couple years at the location, which is now home to Maramec Spring Park. 
 
In fall 2023, a group of students from Missouri S&T led by Dr. Laura Bartlett worked together during the park’s Old Iron Works Day event to demonstrate ironmaking with a traditional cupola furnace capable of melting iron.  
 
This year, they upped their game and demonstrated both the cupola and a bloom furnace that creates a mass of iron and removes some of its impurities. 
 
“We took a very traditional approach for everything,” says Elliot Zeiler, a senior in metallurgical engineering from Wellington, Missouri, who wore an all-natural fiber outfit with high-rise pants and suspenders that looked straight out of the 1800s. “Our group even collected buckets of hematite materials from the park’s original mine pit and then crushed the ore so it was about pea-size and a good fit for the furnaces. 
 
“We started building the furnaces and doing the prep work several days before the event, and our hard work really paid off when everyone cheered when they saw the glowing metal we produced.” 
 
Bartlett, S&T’s Robert V. Wolf Associate Professor of metallurgical engineering and Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) Key Professor of metalcasting technology, says she encourages current and former students she’s worked with to participate in outreach activities. 
 
“During these events, students gain beneficial experiences and learn how to effectively share their passions, and the attendees can leave with a better understanding of what it means to be a metallurgist,” she says. “Even during this historical event, we still have a booth with information about our programs at S&T, and students can chat with the attendees about their insights and experiences.” 
 
Bartlett says S&T’s participation at the Old Iron Works Day event has been funded through FEF, which supports other S&T outreach events related to metallurgical engineering throughout the year as well. 
 
Jeremiah Cohn, who earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering at S&T in 2023 and is now a master’s degree student in explosives engineering, says he has appreciated Bartlett’s encouragement to participate in outreach events — especially the event at Maramec Spring Park. 
 
“The demonstration at Maramec Spring may be different from what metallurgical engineers typically do in the 21^st Century, but the very basic concepts remain the same,” he says. “Doing this work gives me a deeper appreciation for the more advanced techniques metallurgists are using today. It’s like grinding your own wheat and flour — most people do not do this, but there is value in knowing how to do it.” 
 
Zeiler shared similar sentiments.  
 
“I like the idea of doing something that people have done for thousands of years and connecting with the past,” he says. “At Missouri S&T, we get to work with advanced technology and study cutting-edge techniques and concepts, but we still respect the traditions and practices that have been passed down through countless generations.” 
 
To learn more about Missouri S&T’s metallurgical engineering programs, visit mse.mst.edu.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.