| LH Side of Furnace | Boone Furnace | Front of Furnace |
|---|---|---|
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| Closeup of the Interior | RH Side of Furnace | Furnace from the Engine House |
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The furnace is in very poor condition and is unstable. Trees are growing from the top of the furnace. As can be seen
from the pictures, the furnace was built into the hillside. It has two tuyeres and was a hot blast furnace. I found clear
evidence of the engine house on the small rise just to the right of the furnace. There is a wagon trail on the far right hand
side of the hill that leads to the charging area on top. There is evidence of another stone wall above the engine plateau,
most probably for a storage house.
First Visited: 1Q 2003
Start of Operation: 1857
Blowout: March 31st, 1871
Daily Tonnage: 2,600 tons/year, or about 9~10 tons/day based upon a nine month operating period.
Built By: Col. Sebastian Eifort, Thomas Price, and John Eifort.
Stack: 40 feet high w/11 foot bosh
Blast: Hot
Type: Coal
The following information was obtained from George Wolfford. Much thanks to William Miller for sharing this text with me.
The first blast was completed on July 4th, 1857, but on July 25th, the coal, bridge, and casting houses burned down. They
were replaced at a cost of $4,000. Soon afterwards, Hy Pogue, Thad Bennett, L. Dodge, Eli Glover, and H.B. Smith joined the firm
by offering their land holdings as payment. The furnace produced 1,200 to 2,600 tons per year from 1866 to 1871. Mismanagement
and bad luck caused the furnace to close in 1871.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Take 9 west from Grayson. Look for Hollow Road. The furnace is on private property, owned by an older woman on the
top of the hill. Her relatives live in the large stone house across from the furnace and will give permission to access the furnace.
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