by 1836, howell works had expanded to its peak operation and size. by this time, the works employed 400 to 600 workers, including not only those who lived in the works community but many people from the surrounding region. the works had expanded to over sixty buildings, including a large three-storey charcoal depot storing charcoal, bog iron and flux; the company store and the church; a carriage house and stables; a bakery, gristmill and slaughterhouse; a blacksmith, carpentry shop and wheelwright; an enamelling furnace; numerous row houses for married employees; and finally allaire's mansion, which included a dormitory wing for the works bachelors, managed by a housekeeper.