Lazell Perkins & Co. hails from my traditional home town of Bridgewater, MA. They were one of the earliest "production" foundries and rolling mill, 2nd largest ironworks nationally at the time of the American Civil War. And rolled the "ingots" which were used "log cabin style" to surround the pilothouse of the ironclad "Monitor."
I have also heard that they machined the base-ring for the Monitor turret - but I have not found evidence of this in their buildings or structure. It would leave quite a base for a machine 30' in diameter.
Ericsson's Ironclad was unusual in that full drawings of all component parts were made, and work subcontracted to a good cross section of northern machine shops. Also one of the first instances of quality control in that parts were made "to gauge" - and the gauge moved between producers to be sure of assembly.
Lazell-Perkins went by various names over the years with LPCo. being one of the earliest. Later styled Bridgewater Iron Works, the area later (after 1908) as "Stanleyville" as the Stanley Co. (Hardware Manufacturer, not Rule & Level) bought the property for rolling iron sheet.
My brother worked summers in the late 1960s as a laborer at Perkins Iron Foundry - which was a successor closer to Route 28 in Bridgewater. Ruined his back most marvelously moving and descaling castings from the cupola furnace used then. The company still continues with an EPA approved "Meehanite" process.
Somewhere in my Great-great grandfather's writing, he writes about the "Thumping coming from down the hill" (his property on Main Street overlooked the valley between Main and High Streets) and surmised that "business for the Iron Works must be good." In the picture above is seen a very white house on the hill above the letter "a" . This white house stands between GG Grandfather's house and the Ironworks and was owned by one of the managers of the Ironworks.
This would be the same Great-G Grandfather who when a vendor came to his door, GG Mother replied "You can go around back where you'll find him slopping the hogs - You'll know him as he has a hat on!"
Our family has several era familial cross-connects with the Perkins Foundry Family. I have an 1876 era photo album when cheap photography allowed many to assemble and trade family pictures with neighbors. Several pix have the Perkins surname and one thinks these were family friends. Our family tended to partake the Cotton Gin business, which relied on iron from LPCo, but steel not generally used until well after the Civil War. Great-Grandfather transitioned into the Bridgewater Coal & Oil business and sold coke to the Ironworks.
Today the property is much reduced from even its industrial past that I remember as a kid. Now called "Industrial Park" with walking trails and "nature vistas." The old timers would shake their heads as to them nature was something to be overcome, not admired.
Joe in NH