Old Etna Iron Furnace

Located off OH 93 just south of Pedro, Ohio, and east of the OH 93 junction with the Etna-Waterloo Road, the old Furnace still stands on the north side of the road. Some times called Little Etna, the furnace has been uncovered by the US Forest Service. Some records for the furnace remain and those records show that one of the teamsters working for the furnace n the 1870s was Calvin Sanders. Sanders was one of the Blacks manumitted by Sampson Sanders of Cabell County in 1849. Calvin went to Michigan with the other manumitted slaves, but returned to Lawrence County. Lawrence County, Ohio was as close as he could get to Cabell County, (West) Virginia without being arrested or re-enslaved for returning to Virginia. He spent the rest of his life in Lawrence County, Ohio. (obituary enclosed)

Little Etna was surrounded by a company store, shops and housing for its workers. The furnace kept records of workers by the work they did such as digging ore, hauling iron or lime to the furnace, hauling to and from Ironton, or working in the store or at the furnace. The record books also kept the workers account of scrip paid for services and purchases made at the company store. After the fire was taken from the furnace, its owners opened Big Etna at Ironton in 1872. The local newspaper stated "Little" Etna was razed by 1887 and nothing remained except the stack.

Cass County, MI - Deed Books

Eldridge, Carrie: An Empire for Freedom - The Manumission of Sampson Sanders Slaves

Eldridge, Carrie: Records of the Etna Iron Furnace

Federal Census Records: Lawrence County, OH 1860, 1870, 1880

www.lawrenceregister.org