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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Beaujeu forge was established in 1679 by the forge master François Monnois, with the permission of the local lord Marquis d'Hyenne. Originally dedicated to the production of iron for the Toulon arsenal, in 1707 it passed into the hands of the family of Hennezel. During the Revolution, the factory, declared a national property, was purchased in 1798 by Joseph Falatieu, who also owned the Bains-les-Bains factory. The forge then ceased its activity, but the blast furnace operated until around 1879, before being transformed into a bean mill in 1898. The site, heavily redesigned in the 19th century, still houses a blast furnace tower dating back to 1812, classified as a historical monument in 1998.

The blast furnace building, made of limestone and brick, retains a metal frame and a long-paned roof. Adjacent, a 19th-century mill (rebuilt in 1813) produced flour and beans, employing 7 workers in 1900. A hydroelectric power station was installed there in 1923 for EDF. Workers' housing, the coal hall (partly collapsed in the 1980-2000s), and employer housing complete the whole. The site, private property, illustrates the industrial evolution of the Haute-Saône, from metallurgy to hydropower.

The forge played a key role in the local economy, supplying the Royal Navy with quality iron. After its metallurgical decline, the site was converted into milling and then energy, reflecting the technological changes of the 18th to 20th centuries. The remains, including the brick chimney and hydraulic channels, testify to its past importance. Today, the hydropower plant remains in operation, perpetuating a tradition of valorizing the Saône.

Among the successive owners are the families of Hennezel (from 1707), Falatieu (end of 18th century), and Dufournel (mid-19th), via the Crochot and Beaujeu blast furnace company. The site was also operated by Petrus Jacquot in 1898, before it was transformed into a mill. The bombings of the Second World War partially damaged housing, but the tower of 1812 and hydraulic structures remain as tangible traces of this industrial heritage.

Classified in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1998, the Beaujeu forge is a rare example of an early 19th century blast furnace in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Its architecture mixes stone, brick and metal structures, typical of the steel sites of the period. The canals, always visible, fed the hydraulic wheels of the mill and forges, emphasizing the ingenuity of pre-industrial systems. The site, although private, offers an overview of the metallurgical and milling techniques that marked the Saône valley.

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