Narrows of the Harpeth

Narrows of the Harpeth. . The Narrows of the Harpeth is rich in natural and cultural features. The most beautiful and unusual natural feature is the long narrow wall of limestone surrounded by a five mile loop of the river that returns to within 200 feet of itself again known as the "Narrows". Beneath a rock shelter on the southeast face of this majestic limestone bluff, just before reaching the parking area, evidence has been found of past habitation dating back nearly eight thousand years. The trail leading to the southwest face of the bluff ends at the site of Pattison Forge and provides the best view of Montgomery Bell's Tunnel. After Pattison Forge began operation, the only route by which it could be reached by foot, wagon, or pack-mule was by way of the Narrows Gap. Today, a section of the old road bed can still be seen angling through the lowest point of the ridge between Bell Hill and the Narrows Bluff. , Pattison Forge , Around 1818 to 1820, Montgomery Bell created an engineering masterpiece that is recognized today as an engineering landmark and a national historic landmark. African American slaves under Bell's direction excavated a 200 foot tunnel about eight feet high and fifteen feet wide through a limestone bluff at a point on the river known as the "Narrows". It is here that the river makes a loop around a high limestone ridge before returning to within 200 feet of itself again. Bell knew that by diverting water through the tunnel, the weight of the falling water from the plank flume would cause the water wheels to revolve on their axles. As the axles, made of large poplar logs, turned the protruding pins of white oak driven near the end of the log called trip levers, would press down and then release a hammer lever. The hammer lever was a long log with a heavy piece of metal attached to its' end. The pounding motion converted the hot brittle pig iron billets, which were held with tongs on top of a large anvil, into malleable iron bars and plates that were more manageable for blacksmiths to use in their forges. Each full revolution of the water wheel produced two heavy blows to the iron. Products of the forge were hauled by ox drawn wagons or pack mules through the Narrows Gap to markets in Nashville and Franklin or floated down the Harpeth and the Cumberland River to Clarksville where they could be shipped up or down the river by steamboat to other locations. , Montgomery Bell owned and operated Pattison Forge, which bears his mother's maiden name, from 1832-1854. Afterwards, James L. Bell ran the operation until it was closed during the 1860's. After the Civil War, the iron industry in Tennessee remained somewhat depressed, and the forge did not re-open. During the early 1880's the Narrows of the Harpeth was sold by the Bell descendants. In the years to follow, the tunnel furnished power to operate a saw mill, and later a gristmill, which was washed away during a flood in the mid 1890's. , Today the site of Pattison Forge, located at the Narrows of the Harpeth, is a part of the Harpeth River State Park and is maintained by The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. , Montgomery Bell" The Iron Master" , Montgomery Bell was born on January 3rd, 1769 in Chester County Pennsylvania. He was one of nine children born to John and Mary Pattison Bell. As a young man Montgomery Bell ventured into many business opportunities including, hat manufacturing, farming, and the construction of water powered mills. Around 1800, he moved to Tennessee where he affiliated himself with James Robertson, a wealthy iron industrialist. While working at Cumberland Furnace, Bell learned much about the iron industry and soon purchased the furnace. From that time on, he devoted himself to buying and building a number of forges in Tennessee's iron belt. He earned the distinction of being recognized as Tennessee's First Capitalist. In 1850 in London, England, Bell won first prize for producing the best iron in the world. Montgomery Bell died April 1st, 1855 at the age of 86. He is buried just across the river within sight of his tunnel. A tall granite shaft engraved with a replica of Napier Furnace, an earlier forge operated by him in what is now Montgomery Bell State Park, marks his plot.