Of the 3,000 brave Scot’s taken prisoner after the 1650 Battle of Dunbar, in Bonnie Scotland, 60 were brought to Massachusetts where they would be forced to run the Saugus Iron Works. Click here for a 23-minute video posted on October 29, 2024 in which That History Chick walks the grounds, goes inside the museum, and provides information on how this place came to be and what it’s like to visit.

The site of the first integrated ironworks in North America, founded by John Winthrop the Younger and in operation between 1646 and approximately 1670. It includes the reconstructed blastfurnace, forge, rolling mill, shear, slitter and a quarter-ton trip hammer.

The facility is powered by seven large waterwheels, some of which are rigged to work in tandem with huge wooden gears connecting them. It has a wharf to load the iron onto ocean-going vessels, as well as a large, restored 17th-century house.

The original List of Dunbar Prisoners Profiles is shown above. This list is a compilation of suggested names of Scottish prisoners of war who were sent to Massachusetts in 1650. The list was created by researchers Dr. Andrew Millard and Teresa Rust. The original passenger list for the ship that transported the prisoners is not known to exist.