The following sites are known to have existed at one time. In some cases, the remains of the site remain in existence, but I have not yet visited the location. In other cases, the furnace site may no longer exist. Anyone having any information on these sites is encouraged to forward their knowledge - credit for the source will be acknowledged when posted.
Much thanks is extended to the Lawrence Register for the kind use
of their geneological records, including iron furnace information.
Per J.P. Lesley, this charcoal furnace was built in 1816 and abandoned in 1826. Owners were Thomas Means father, General McArthur, and Thomas James. Located in Adams county.
Located in Jackson County. Built in 1864 by Watson & Others. Per "Jackson County - It's History and It's People" by Robert Ervin the furnace was built in 1863, the 1864 date may be the start of operations. The furnace was built at the corner of Pearl and Locust Streets in the city of Jackson.
In 1859, James L. Rice was digging a water well and found coal under his property. Peter Pickrel and Captain Lewis Davis were employed to dig a coal shaft and establish a furnace. Pickrel and Davis were joined by D.D. Dungan and Alanson Robbins. Augustus and James Watson of Cincinnatti, Ohio also became investors in the project. As they built the furnace, a portion of the equipment was obtained from Young America Furnace. The furnace had three tuyeres and an initial capacity of 6-8 tons/day. This expansion was later increased to 10 tons/day. Speculation losses in the Panic of 1873 led to the closure of the operation. Then, on March 9th, 1873, cold water was added to a hot boiler. The resulting explosion destroyed most of the furnace. Between the accident and the financial losses, the furnace closed and was torn down. No trace of the this furnace remains.
Ophir Furnace was built in 1874 by the Honorable H.S. Bundy & Others. The furnace was located in Section 6 of Coal Township, which was part of Lick Township until 1883. The furnace was situated northwest of Pierce (Mather) Cemetary and Buffalo Hollow, near Ophir Falls. This places the furnace about four miles from the city of Jackson.
The following information was obtained from the Robert Ervin text.
The initial capital for the project was $80,000, with each share worth $500. Principal investors were: Robert Hoop, George Hoop, John D. Mitchell, Charles C. James, Mark Sternberger, D. Wayland Evans, and James Harper. The site operated for two years, but suffered due to the poor location. It shut down and the equipment was moved to Eliza Furnace.
Per Gilbert Dodds this furnace was built in 1812 by Nathaniel Massie, in Ross County. It is known that on August 27th, 1812, he solicited work from the Secretary of War (William Eustis). He is also believed to have built Rapid Forge in 1815. He was also part owner in a saw and grist mill with Richard Hulitt, from 1805 onward. The furnace no longer exists.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
Built in 1828 by Robert Hamilton and Andrew Ellison. Daily capacity was 18 tons. The furnace must have been located near the town of Newcastle, at the intersection of SR 650 and Pine Grove Road. The original company store remains and is in use as a general store.
Glibert Dodds indicates the following history regarding Robert Hamilton and Pine Grove Furnace.
Robert Hamilton migrated from Fayette County, PA in 1817. He obtained work as a clerk at Brush Creek Furnace. On July 20, 1825, he married Nancy Ellison, daughter of John Ellison. The furnace was built in 1828, and fired for the first time on January 1st, 1829. Products from the furnace were also shipped under the name of Union Landing, since this is the location where the iron was shipped. On January 1st, 1845, the furnace was leased to John G. Peebles, John F. Steele, and Samuel B. Hempstead. They operated the furnace for three years. Sunday operations were discontinued in 1844.
Mr. Hamilton's wife passed on June 23rd, 1838. He married a second time on February 20th, 1839 to Rachel R. Peebles, sister of John G. Peebles. He passed away on September 11th, 1856. A portion of his estate was utilized to establish the Peebles-Hamilton Reading Rooms in Portsmouth, Ohio.
The Rev. Ray Schulte of Saint John's Abbey (Collegeville, Minnesota) contacted me in February 2003 regarding one of his ancestors who worked at Pine Grove Furnace. I was able to conduct some geneaological reseach on his behalf, and in exchange, he was kind enough to give permission to post the following information.
My direct relative was Johann Freidrich Monnig (born 1815 in Caldenhoff, Hannover, Germany), who died 1890 in Pine Grove [Ironton], Ohio. He was married in Germany to Anna Maria Elizabeth Kroger or Krger (born in 1809 in Jostinghausen ["35 miles NE of Munster"], Hannover, Germany). She died in 1877, also at Pine Grove [Ironton], OH. They left Germany via the Port of Bremen on the bark Pennsylvania, arriving in the USA at Baltimore, MD, between Sept. 12 - Oct. 1, 1838 From Baltimore they went to Pittsburgh, PA. From Pittsburg they went by flat boat to Hanging Rock, OH. There Johann was recruited to work in the Pine Grove Furnace; he agreed and worked until he had enough money to buy a farm. The farm was in the area of Ironton; the first child of their relatively new marriage was already born in Ironton in 1839.
The listings at the Ohio Historical Society indicate nine (9) headstones with the name Monnig or Monning exist within Elizabeth Township (where Pine Grove Furnace was located). Interestingly enough, I did not find a listing for Monnig under the 1850 Federal census records. The 1880 Federal census records indicate three individuals with the name Monnig.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Built in 1857 by W. Colvin, U. Tracy, & Others. The furnace was located in Washington Township between the Olive and Washington furnaces. The furnace is still standing off Brady Creek Road, but I have not visited to date. The furnace was one of the first furnaces to use stone coal as fuel.
Per J.P. Lesley, this charcoal fn was built in 1825 by Thorndike & Drury of Boston. It was idle since 1838.
Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
Built in 1877 by Hiram Cambell & Sons. Reported to be a small furnace but very efficient. Three Whitwell ovens were built at the site - I am unfamilar with this type - investigation is necessary. The stack was reported to be increased to 60 feet in 1885. Located somewhere in Lawrence County.
Built in 1828 by General William Kendall. Located in Scioto County. The furnace no longer remains except for the backwall.
Per Gilbert Dodds, the furnace was built by General William Kendall in 1828. After operating the site for twelve months, he sold the furnace to William Salters and Andrew Dempsey, who are frequently credited with the construction. Among the many owners of this furnace were J.M.G. Smith, J.W. Glidden, L.C. Robinson, Andrew Crawford, George S. Williams, Wells A. Hutchins, Sr., and Charles Leonard. The furnace went out of blast in 1892.
Click here for a picture of Scioto Furnace when it was in operation. This picture was donated by Richard Leive.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Per Frank H. Rowe, General Kendall also built Clinton and Buckhorn Furnaces shortly after building Scioto Fn. According to Rowe, William Salter and Dempsey ran the fn until 1840 when they sold out to a firm named Harkness and Voorheis of Cincinnati, who rebuilt the fn in 1844. Voorheis sold his interest in the fn to Joseph Mill Glidden Smith around 1846 and the new company operated the fn until 1852. Branson Miles (originally a moulder at Franklin Fn) was part owner of the fn between 1830 and 1840 or until Harkness and Voorheis purchased the property. J.M.G Smith sold his interest in the fn to Jefferson Wadley Glidden and J.V. Robinson, Sr. in 1853. During his twelve years at Scioto, JMG Smith was manager for the site. James Murfin became the manager after Smith sold out and the firm was known as Robinson, Glidden and Co. L.C. Robinson purchased an interest in the fn previous to 1860 and the name was changed to Robinson & Co., later to L.C. Robinson & Co. Because of financial difficulties, Robinson sold the firm to Andrew Crawford and George Williams who operated it until 1883 when Wells A. Hutchins, Sr. and Charles Leonard became shareholders. This company ran the fn until it was blown out for good in 1892.
Located in Jackson County. Henry Hossman headed the construction project. Built in 1866 by Isaac Brown & Others. After the retirement of Isaac, the furnace was run by his sons, C.O. and L.V. Brown. The "others" included Alanson Robbins, David D. Dungan, John M. Jones, James Chestnut, and Bernard Kahn. Per Robert Ervin the furnace was built in 1865, the 1866 date may be the start of operations.
The furnace was built on East Broadway in the city of Jackson. It was the first stack in the county to have an iron stack. The machinery for the furnace came from failed Oakridge Furnace in Lawrence County.
Isaac Brown served as President, with Alanson Robbins as Secretary and John M. Jones was manager.
On August 8th, 1889, Isaac Brown died and was succeeded by Bernard Kahn. John M. Jones was succeeded by L.V. Brown, son of Isaac.
Records from 1904 indicate that the furnace employed 75 men at the furnace, 75 at the coal mine, and 50 men at the ore site. The furnace produced 40-45 tons per day and sold their pig iron at $15/ton. The furnace was rebuilt in 1912 at a cost of $150,000. Production was increased to 85 tons per day. The furnace operated for several years but was closed in 1923. It was dismantled in August of 1935.
Per Gilbert Dodds, this furnace was located in Adams County, near the village of Peebles, Ohio, in Meigs Township. The furnace was built by James Rodgers and the Pittsburg Steam Engine Company. The furnace was named because the machinery was propelled by steam engine. A forge was believed to have been built in 1815.
Per Gilbert Dodds, this furnace was built in Summit County, about 1819.
Per J.P. Lesley, this charcoal fn was built in 1830 and went out of blast in 1835. The fn ran coal measure carbonate ores smelted with charcoal.
Per J.P. Lesley, this charcoal fn was built in 1854 and was owned by Dr. Tilden of Cleveland. It used Lake Superior ore.
Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
This furnace was never actually built per Robert Ervin. The Triumph Iron and Coal Company was formed in March of 1873 with a total capital of $100,000. Principals in the venture were Thomas T. Jones (see Jefferson,Globe furnaces), T.L. Hughes, John D. Davis, Lot Davis, Eben Jones, and Jacob Long. On April 17th, 1873 the brickyard was built to provide furnace bricks. On July 24th, 1873 a coal shaft was built but the coal was found to be worthless for furnace operations. On November 13th, 1873, the company disbanded. The equipment was sold to Huron Furnace. The entire venture lost an estimated $6,000-$8,000.
Located one hundred yards east of the Chillicothe Street Bridge at the junction with Athens Street in the city of Jackson. The furnace was built in 1873 by the Tropic Furnace Company. It only operated for one year and closed in 1879.
The following information was obtained from the Robert Ervin text.
Tropic Furnace was founded on March 10th, 1873, with Ezekial T. Jones as President and Daniel D. Morgan as Secretary. Ezekial had worked previously at Orange Furnace and then went to work for a furnace in Clay County, Indiana. His brother was also a furnace man. Morgan had been the manager of Cambria Furnace. At some point the furnace must have been sold, because Ervin lists a H.L. Chapman (President) and J.C. Jones (Secretary) as the principals when the furnace closed in 1896.
Per Gilbert Dodds, this furnace was built in Zoar, Ohio, about a half mile east of the Tuscarawas River. It was built in 1830 by Christmas, Hazlett & Company, and then later sold to the town. It blew out before 1850.
Per J.P. Lesley, Tuscarawas Fn ran until 1846, when the timber failed to blow out.
It is unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
The first iron furnace built in the Ohio portion of the HRIR area, along with Franklin Furnace. Built in 1826 by James Rodgers & Company. Located somewhere in Lawrence County. Capacity was one ton per day per Robert Ervin.
The following information was obtained from Nelson Evans.
The furnace was built in the Eastern border of Green County in 1826. The principals were James Rodgers, John Means, John Sparks, and Valentine Fear. The furnace went out of blast in 1851 or 1852. At that time, the owners were David Sinton and Thomas W. Means.
A second furnace name Union may be located in Hocking County, built in 1854. Builder unknown.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Per J.P. Lesley, this charcoal furnace was built by the Geauga Iron Company in 1834 and was sold in 1835 to Wilkeson & Co. The new owners ran the furnace for two years on bog ore. The furnace remained standing at the time of the Lesley text.
Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
Also known as the Wellston Twin Furnaces. The Wellston furnaces were built in the area north of Edgewood Manor in the city of Wellston (located in Jackson County). Built in 1875 by the Wellston Coal & Iron Company. Per Robert Ervin the furnace was organized by Harvey Wells and a group of investors from Washington Court House, Ohio. Financial difficulties ensued and the furnaces did not operate for three years (1876-1879). H.S. Bundy took control of the furnaces in 1879 and operated them for five years. In 1884, a group of investors founded the Wellston Coal Company and purchased furnace operations. Principal investors were T.J. Morgan (Wellston), William T. McClintock and Amos Smith (Chillicothe). The new owners leased the furnace to King, Gilbert and Warner of Columbus, Ohio. J.C. Clutts joined the new firm in 1888 as general manager. The furnace operated until 1893 when the depression caused it to go into receivership, with H.S. Williard as the receiver. He continued to operate the furnace during this period. Then, on July 12, 1894, the furnaces were purchased by the Wellston Iron and Steel Company. This was a new firm organized by J.C. Clutts (President), H.S. Williard (Secretary), and L.C. Vogelsang (General Manager). In 1905, Williard bought out Clutts and reorganized the company as the Wellston Steel and Iron Company. M.L Sternberger was a major shareholder in the new firm and became the President. The furnaces operated throughout the first World War but closed down in 1923. They were dismantled in 1929 and the site is now the Wellston City Park.
Per Gilbert Dodds this furnace existed in Hocking County. Unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
Per Robert Ervin, this site was built in 1856/57 by a group of Jackson County businessmen. Dr. James H. Miller (a Jackson physician) was the President, while Jesse W. Laird served as the Secretary and Financial Manager. The furnace was located at the forks of the Sugar Creek, reported to be near the intersection of present day St 788 and County Road 78 (Fairgreens Road). The furnace was named for the railroad station in Hamden (on the Scioto & Hocking RR line). The company apparently planned to experiment with stone coal, but was a victum of the Panic of 1857. The furnace went into receivership with a debt of $105,000. It closed in 1860. Stone from the stack was used to build Orange Furnace in 1863.
Eugene Willard gives a start date of 1854 for the Young America furnace.
Per J.P. Lesley,
Per J.P. Lesley, this fn was owned by the Zaleski Iron Co. H.B. Robson was the financial agent, and Mr. Walters was the manager. The fn was located halfway between the Vinton and Bigsand furnaces. It was a mile from the Zaleski railroad station, where the machine shops, foundries, rolling mills, etc were being built. The fn was built in 1858 and was 46 feet high with a 13 foot bosh. There were to be three stacks in all. The fn was expected to run on raw coal and limestone, clay and slicious ball ores of the horizontal coal measures of the nearby hills.
Built in Vinton County, Built in 1858. Possibly built by Waters.
Per Gilbert Dodds, this was the second of two furnaces built on the Tuscarawas River, the first being Tuscarawas Furnace. This furnace was built by the city and blew out before 1850. Per Lesley it was a charcoal fn. Exact date of construction in unknown. It is unknown if this furnace remains in existence.
