All of the information on this page was obtained from the
Ohio Historical Collections Volume 10. History of the Iron and Steel Industry in Scioto County, Ohio.
by Rowe, Frank H. The Ohio State Archaeological & Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio © 1938
Franklin was the first fn to go into blast in Scioto County (1827). The location was stated to be on the north side of US52, fourteen miles north of Portsmouth. In 1832 the fn produced about 10 tons per day. Originally it was a cold blast fn, but was changed over to hot blast in 1836. In that same year, the fn buildings burned down and were rebuilt - then sold to A.J. Rogers (note change in name from Evans text). He sold out to Jefferson W. Glidden and John Blair in 1841. Glidden purchased John Blair's interest in the fn (Portsmouth Tribune, July 8, 1842) and became sole owner. He sold the fn to John Gould, Jess Hurd, and Jacob Hurd. Because of domestic relations, John Gould bought the fn outright, and his brother, Orin B. Gould Sr. had a minor interest. During the Mexican War, Gould made a fortune from the fn and turned his interest in the property over to Orin in 1850, having grown tired of the business. Orin operated the fn until 1860, when it blew out forever.
During its operation, the fn had an average daily production of ten tons per day. Approximately fifty to sixty thousand tons of iron were produced during the thirty three year period with an estimated value of $1,500,000. Practically all of the iron was shipped to the ultimate customer by Ohio River boats. A landing was maintained on the river bank where supplies were received by boat and iron shipped away. At one time, three steamboats were kept busy hauling pig iron from Franklin and Junior Furnaces to Portsmouth where most of it was used in the rolling mill and foundries, and some of it shipped by canal to northern and eastern markets.
The community grew up around the furnace, and at its peak reached close to 350 people. Most of the homes were originally log cabins. Several stores existed, including a blacksmith shop, a church and a schoolhouse. For over fifty years the town thrived - now the only remains are a few homes and one store. The sandstone blocks of the furnace were removed in 1888 by Charles Goddard (Superintendent of Public Works for Ohio) to repair the canal locks at Three Locks on the Erie Canal. The few remaining sandstone blocks wre used as a foundation for the schoolhouse that now sets on the furnace site. The only remaining traces of the furnace are a black slag pile and two old salamanders. (Note: Salamanders were large clumps of slag and ore that accumulated on the sides of the furnace and were periodically removed. If they became large enough, they could cause serious damage to the furnace, including a complete blockage that would need to be blasted out. JM)
The original builders of the furnace knew little about the production of iron. Daniel Young was a product of the colonial stock. He was an ordained Methodist minister who resigned his office of State Senator (New Hampshire) to organize a company of pioneers and journey to Ohio. They settled on the land east of the Little Scioto River in 1820, where Young soon operated a cotton factory and later a wool carding mill. Young was successful in all of his undertakings. He preached in Concord (now Wheelersburg) and was the secretary of the County Sunday School Association for many years. He was representative to the Ohio Legislature from Scioto County in 1841. It was through his large family tree that many early Scioto County fn became related to each other. Through marriage, the Youngs, Gliddens, Hurds, Goulds, Murfins, Blairs and Smiths were bound by family ties.
Branson Miles was a moulder at the fn in 1829 and Andrew Crawford worked for John and Orin Gould in 1840. Crawford would later become manager of Scioto Fn in 1880. Jefferson Wadley Glidden was a woodchopper on the fn property around 1840 and worked for ten dollars per month. He would later become part owner in the furnace. Judge Fernando C. Searl, at one time had a contract to haul coal to the fn - but he was losing money on the contract. Glidden, upon hearing this issue, had the contract rewritten so that Searl could realize a profit. John Asher Winkler worked for the fn from 1841 to 1852 and later became the manager of Harrison Fn. Christopher Flanagan worked at Franklin for some time after 1855. The last manager of Franklin Fn. was William C. Eakins in 1871.