Per J.P. Lesley:
- Owned By: R.S.C.A. Alexander
- Managed By: William Torrance
- Location: On the south bank of the Green River, at a point formerly called Paradise, now called Airdrie, thirty five miles above Lock 2 (Ramsey), ten miles below the mouth of Mud River (Lock 3), four miles above the crossing of the Lexington and Nashville Railroad line, ten miles by river above Lewisport, and ten miles east-northeast of Greensville.
- Build Year: 1857
- Stack: 48 feet w/15-1/2 foot bosh
- Production:
- Ore Source: Bituminous coal from the Airdrie bed, and black band iron ore.
- Other Information: The equipment was reported to come from another fn out of blast for fifteen years that Mr. Alexander bought.
The following pictures and information were provided courtesy of Rebecca Means, who found information on Airdrie Furnace while doing research at college. The picture and text are from "Historic Kentucky" by J. Winston Coleman, Jr. published in 1968. Thanks Rebecca!
| Airdrie Furnace | Information on Airdrie Furnace |
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I found the following picture at Muhlenberg County Kentucky
| Airdrie Furnace |
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Located in Boyd County. Built in 1829 by Lindsey Poage & Others. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley:
- Owned By: Child, Rogers, Walker & Co
- Managed By: G. Walker
- Location: Nine miles above Greenupsburg and opposite Ironton.
- Build Year: 1831
- Stack: 35 feet w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1854 - 200 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Carbonate, Limestone and crop hematites from horizontal lower coal measures in the river.
- Other Information: Only fn located on the Ohio River.
First furnace built in the Hanging Rock Iron Region (HRIR). Located in Greenup County on the left bank of the Little Sandy River. Built in 1818 by Richard Deering and the Trimble Brothers (David and John). Capacity was one ton per day.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Mr. Trimble
- Managed By: G. Walker
- Location: Ten miles south of Greenupsburg
- Build Year: 18
- Stack: 25 feet high w/ 6 foot bosh
- Production: 1854 - 200 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Carbonate, Limestone and crop hematites from horizontal lower coal measures in the river.
- Other Information: The spelling of this fn was Argolite. In 1859, only an old mill marked the location of this fn. The fn was built in 1818 by Richard Deering and abandoned in 1837.
Eugene Willard indicates that Richard Deering was a farmer who engaged in salt boiling in his spare time. Upon noticing some iron ore on his property, he commenced to build a simple cupola and melted the ore. The results were successful, and soon he employed four to five moulders. That early success prompted Deering and the Trimble brothers to construct Argillite Furnace. The stack was cut from a solid cliff of black slate. The furnace was 25 feet tall with a 6 foot bosh. Power for the blast was provided by constructing a dam across the river, the water powering a huge undershot waterwheel. They ran castings for six days a week, and then poured pigs on Sunday.
Located in Boyd County. Built in 1869 by Lexington & Big Sandy Railroad Company. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Located in Menifee County. The furnace is believed to exist in Scranton, in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The furnace started in 1819 and blew out in the early 1870's.
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1826 by A. Paull, George Poage, & Others. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Means, Russell & Means
- Managed By: John Russell
- Location: On Hood's Creek, twelve miles above Greenupsburg and two and a half miles from the Ohio River at Ashland.
- Build Year: 1828
- Stack: 10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 32 weeks - 1,721 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure limestone and crop hematite ores from the surrounding hills.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: J.B. Alexander & Co.
- Managed By: W. Patterson
- Location: Twenty six miles south of Louisville
- Build Year: 1844, Rebuilt in 1853
- Stack: 33 feet w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 26 weeks - 1,140 tons of machine and mill iron
- Ore Source: Carbonate ores, abundant in the grey or ash colored shales overlying the black Devonian slate in the southeast part of the range of the knobs of Bullitt, extending along the waters of the Cane River southestwardly into Nelson County. Identical to the peculiar ores of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
- Other Information: The owners also owned Salt River and Nelson furnaces.
Located in Boyd County. Built in 1848 by William Foster & Others. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: H. Means & Co.
- Managed By: John Rhoads
- Location: On a branch of the Little Sandy River, four miles south of Pennsylvania Fn and five miles west of its railway station, ten miles southwest of Ashland.
- Build Year: 1848
- Stack: 35 feet high w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1854 - 32 weeks - 1,649 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Brown hematite crop ore from the horizontal lower coal measures.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: David & John Trimble
- Managed By:
- Location: Near the Carter County line, fourteen miles from Greenupsburg on the Little Sandy River.
- Build Year:
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source:
- Other Information: Also known as Farewell Fn. Abandoned in the period of 1819-1829.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: R. and A.S. Carter
- Managed By:
- Location: Fourteen miles east of Owingsville on Caney Fork of the Licking River, five miles west of Olympiam Springs and near the White Sulpher Springs, fifty three miles east of Lexington
- Build Year: 1857/58 (1st blast)
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source: Limestone hematite ore from the lower coal measures
- Other Information:
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1833 by Henry Blake & Company.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: W. Wurtz & Co.
- Managed By: M.R. King
- Location: Three miles above Greenupsburg, one and a half miles from the Ohio River.
- Build Year: 1833
- Stack: 35 feet high w/ 10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 1,200 tons of cold short iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure limestone ore within three miles east and south.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Daniel Hillman
- Managed By:
- Location: Lyon County, eleven miles south of Eddyville, two and a half miles west of Empire furnace.
- Build Year: 1852 by Daniel Hillman
- Stack: 33 feet high w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 46 weeks - 2,139-1/2 tons of metal
- Ore Source: Brown pot hematite ores from the neighborhood.
- Other Information: Owned by Empire Iron Works, who also owned Empire and Fulton furnaces.
Per J.P. Lesley, this ch fn was owned by Hurte and Berry. Hugh Barr was their agent out of Cincinnati. The fn was located on the Licking River.
Located in Boyd County. Built in 1830 by the Poage Brothers. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: J. Burwell & Co.
- Managed By: J. Burwell
- Location: Four miles south of Belefonte Fn
- Build Year: 1833
- Stack: 10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 1,500 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure limestone ore from nearly horizontal outcrops west of the fn.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: G.D. Cobb
- Managed By: C.C. Cobb
- Location: One and a half miles northeast of Dycusburg in Crittenden County.
- Build Year: 1848
- Stack: 30 feet high w/9 foot bosh
- Production: 1855 - 1,300 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Brown hematite ores from the neighborhood.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Daniel Hillman
- Managed By:
- Location: On the left bank of the Cumberland River, one mile south of the Tennessee Rolling Mill and Forge and eleven miles from Eddyville.
- Build Year: 1843 by T.T. Watson and sold in 1849
- Stack: 35 feet high w/9-1/2 foot bosh
- Production: 1856 - 45 weeks - 1,836 tons of metal
- Ore Source: Brown pot hematite ores from the neighborhood.
- Other Information: Owned by Empire Iron Works, who also owned Centre and Fulton furnaces. The tunnel heads of Fulton, Centre, and Empire furnaces were enlarged in April of 1859 to four feet. The was preparation for the introduction of the patent conical-bottom filler now successfully used at the Iron Mountain Furnaces in Missouri.
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1832 by Clingham. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
See Campbranch Furnace.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Daniel Hillman
- Managed By:
- Location: Lyon County, eight miles south of Eddyville, three miles north of Empire furnace and two miles west of the Tennessee Rolling Mill.
- Build Year: 1845 by Watson & Hillman
- Stack: 33 feet high w/11 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 22 weeks - 1,044 tons of metal for the rolling mill and for the St. Louis and Lower Mississippi markets.
- Ore Source: Brown pot hematite ores from the neighborhood.
- Other Information: Owned by Empire Iron Works, who also owned Centre and Empire furnaces. Converted to hot blast in 1856.
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1833 by George Darlington & Others. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Wilson, Baird & Co.
- Managed By: A.J. Bell
- Location: On the Little Fork of the Little Sandy River, three miles west of Pennsylvania Fn.
- Build Year: 1845/46
- Stack: 37 feet high w/11 foot bosh
- Production: 1856 - 2,600 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure limestone and some block ore.
- Other Information:
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1832 by Ward. There was also a forge, built in 1824. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Conner & Hughes
- Managed By: Conner & Hughes
- Location: On the west side of the Cumberland River, two miles west of Dycusburg in Livingston County.
- Build Year: 1847
- Stack: 30 feet high w/9 foot bosh
- Production: 1856 - 1,096 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Brown hematite ores from the neighborhood.
- Other Information: Also known as Ozeoro Fn.
Also known as Greenup Furnace. Located in Greenup County. Built in 1844 by John Campbell, John Peters, and John Culbertson. John Peters ran the furnace for the first year of operation before returning to Ohio.
Also known as Charlotte Furnace. There is a Charlotte Furnace and an Iron Hills Furnace located on the Delorme Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer but I was not able to locate any ruins at the indicated point.
The following data was obtained from George Wolfford. The first furnace was orginally built in 1873, along with a system of hot blast ovens seperate from the main furnace. The furnace had an iron shell that rested on iron pillars. The hearth was firebrick with a closed bell top. A gas flue carried waste gasses to the boiler, while an inclined plane elevator carried materials to the top of the furnace. The furnace produced 18-20 tons per day by late 1873, but by the spring of 1874, money problems reduced the output to 962 tons for the entire year. Lack of sufficient temperature also caused problems with the quality of iron produced. The assets of the operation were sold to cover debts in 1875, when it was renamed Charlotte Furnace. It ran until 1878 when it was sold to Edward Avery and H.W. Brum for $25,000 on November 8th, 1880. The new owners never ran the furnace and it closed forever.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: John W. Walker of Nashville & J.R. Hassell of Marion ( as of 1859) - See below
- Managed By:
- Location: On the Little Fork of the Little Sandy River, three miles west of Pennsylvania Fn.
- Build Year: 1853 - Rebuilt in 1856
- Stack: 34 feet high w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 26 weeks - 1,200 tons of soft metal for rolling mills
- Ore Source: Brown hematite ore from the Jackson bank one and a half miles distant.
- Other Information: Originally built by Andrew Jackson and commonly known as the Jackson Fn.
See Hurricane Furnace.
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1856 by John Warring & Others. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: John Waring & Sons
- Managed By: John Waring
- Location: The fn was located on Big White-Oak creek and State Road, fifteen miles west of Greenupsburg and six miles from the Ohio River.
- Build Year: 1854
- Stack: 36 feet high w/11 foot bosh
- Production: 1856 - 1,500 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure carbonate, fossil, and crop hematite ores from the surrounding hills.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: J.J. Tomlinson
- Managed By: J.F. Gentry
- Location: Two miles west of the CUmberland Reiver, three miles north of the Tennessee State Line.
- Build Year: 1855
- Stack: 40 feet high w/1 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 44 weeks - 1,637-1/2 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Brown hematite (mostly pot) ore from the neighborhood
- Other Information: Built by Gentry, Gunn, & Co.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Lewis, Irvin & Co. (1859) of the Cumberland Iron Works in Stewart County Tennessee.
- Managed By:
- Location: Right bank of the Cumberland River near the State Line.
- Build Year: 1845
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source:
- Other Information: Built by Stacker & Raybure and abandoned in 1854.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Graffenried & Co.
- Managed By: J.L. James, Jr.
- Location: One mile from the left bank of the Cumberland River on Little Hurricane Creek, five miles south of Eddyville.
- Build Year: 1845
- Stack: 31-1/2 feet high w/9 foot two inch bosh
- Production: 1857 - 48 weeks - 1,514 tons of metal
- Ore Source: Brown hematite ore dug within 3/4 miles west of the fn
- Other Information: Built by Charles Stacker
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By:
- Managed By:
- Location: In Estill County, eight miles northeast of Irvine, stands at the head of Miller's Creek a small branch of the Kentucky River. About fifty miles due south of Maysvill on the Ohio River.
- Build Year:
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source: Subcarboniferous grey carbonate ore of Formation XI.
- Other Information:
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: J.B. Alexander & Co.
- Managed By: W. Patterson
- Location: Forty miles south of Louisville, on the Lebanon Branch RR.
- Build Year: 1834 - Rebuilt in 1853
- Stack: 33 feet high w/10-1/2 foot bosh
- Production: 1857 - 27 weeks - 1,256 tons of forge iron
- Ore Source: Similar ore to their other fn's. The ore was reported to be similar Devonian carbonate ore from Salt Spring Hollow, where it is a solid plate from twelve to sixteen inches thick, and from banks a few hundred yards from the furnace.
- Other Information: The owners also owned Belmont and Star River furnaces.
Located in Boyd County. Built in 1873 by the Norton Iron Works. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Located in Boyd County. Built in 1834 by the Kouns Brothers. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By:
- Managed By:
- Location: In Russell County, five miles south of Jamestown.
- Build Year:
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source:
- Other Information: Reported by Lesley to have been in operation during the 1820-1830 era. Ran on the ore found on the table land near the Creelsborough-Jamestown road, in red clay.
Per J.P. Lesley, this ch fn was located seven miles south-southeast of Greenville on Battish Creek (Muhlenburg County). The fn utilized slaty black band and fossil ore within two miles.
See Hopewell Furnace.
Located in Greenup County. The furnace was built in 1824 by Joseph McMurty, a physician. William Ward was a fifty percent owner. The furnace was built on the site of a forge built in 1815 by Richard Deering. The furnace went into blast in 1825 but only lasted for 66 days. A blast damaged the stack and shut it down for some period. Later, the furnace utilized the water power of the Little Sandy Creek to operate the blast mechanism. The furnace ran until 1830 and was then leased to William Boyd for four years. The furnace blew out in 1834.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Ward and McMurtrie
- Managed By:
- Location: This fn was built on the Sandy Creek just above Argillite Furnace.
- Build Year:
- Stack:
- Production:
- Ore Source:
- Other Information: It was built just after the construction of Argillite, by Ward and McMurtrie and was abandoned in 1839.
I believe that this furnace was built on the site of the earlier Buena Vista Furnace. The furnace was sold in 1883 and moved to an area near Lowmoor, Virginia. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: J.B. Alexander & Co.
- Managed By: W. Patterson
- Location: Three miles northwest of Blemont Fn. One and a half miles from the Louisville and Nashville RR.
- Build Year: 1832
- Stack: 33 feet high w/10-1/2 foot bosh
- Production: Tough iron ore
- Ore Source: Carbonate ores, abundant in the grey or ash colored shales overlying the black Devonian slate in the southeast part of the range of the knobs of Bullitt, extending along the waters of the Cane River southestwardly into Nelson County. Identical to the peculiar ores of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
- Other Information: Stopped operations in 1853. The owners also owned Belmont and Nelson furnaces.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: William Wurtz
- Managed By: J.S. Jones
- Location: On Bolt's Creek, five miles west of Big Sandy and ten miles east of Star Fn.
- Build Year: 1849
- Stack: 32 feet high w/10-1/2 foot bosh
- Production: 1854 - 1,000 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure refractory ore.
- Other Information:
Located in Greenup County. Built in 1824 by the Shreeve Brothers. Unknown if this stack remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: Wurtz, Spaulding & Co.
- Managed By: J.S. Jones
- Location: The fn was situated four miles above Greenupsburg, two and a half miles back from the Ohio River.
- Build Year: 1817, Rebuilt in 1854
- Stack: 35 feet high w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1854 - 1,200 tons of iron
- Ore Source: Lower coal measure ores
- Other Information: The fn was running on a second growth of timber.
Per J.P. Lesley,
- Owned By: William Kelly & Co.
- Managed By: William Kelly
- Location: On the west fork of Poplar Creek, two and a half miles back from the Cumberland River and five miles west-northwest of Eddywille in Lyon County.
- Build Year: 1846
- Stack: 35 feet high w/10 foot bosh
- Production: 1855 - 44 weeks - 1,700 tons of metal adapted to the making of steel and used in Pittsburg for that purpose and in Cincinnati for making boiler plate.
- Ore Source: Brown hematite ore from the Iron Mountain bank three miles to the west.
- Other Information: During the period of 1855-1859, the metal from the fn was converted into blooms at Union Forge. This fn was utilized by Mr. Kelly to develop the process for refining iron in the hearth (steel making).
Per J.P. Lesley, this ch fn was located in Lyon County on the same side of the river as Hopewell Fn and three miles off southeast. The fn was built by General White in 1846 and abandoned the same year.