The Forges de Syam and its 19th-century iron industry

Forges de Syam, a set of forge works and sheet metal mills nestled in France's Jura department at the intersection of the Ain and Saine rivers, has a history spanning over 200 years. The site was known for producing scythes and iron tires, utilizing the extensive woodland of the Jura mountains to provide charcoal for iron working. The forges remained active as late as 2005, continuing to use some machinery from the 19th century when the buildings were first erected.

In 1864, Alphonse Jobez, the son of Emmanuel, set up a nail works which gave new life to an enterprise that had neared collapse. Alphonse was a follower of Fourierist theory and applied it by creating a cité ouvrière adjoining the factory, which included a post office with a telegraph in 1885. He also fitted out a library of 30,000 volumes in the first floor of the Château de Syam.

The nail works closed in 1914, and the firm of UMAS became the main stakeholder in 1945. Following a bankruptcy in 1976, the forges were sold to Experton-Revollier. Modernization efforts were undertaken while retaining the steel rolling mill, which was the last of its type in France and one of the last in Europe. Today, the site feeds the market in short-run products for locksmiths' work, motor cars, and lifts.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons