Southern Ohio is located in what is referred to as the Hanging Rock Region. The region itself is rich in iron deposits and spreads across Kentucky and southern Ohio. During the 1800s, the Hanging Rock Region had over sixty iron furnaces. The region provided much-needed iron during the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the railroad boom. The furnaces provided well-paying jobs in a region that was relatively poor. However, after the end of World War I, all of the charcoal furnaces in the Hanging Rock region were abandoned. In Jackson County, the only furnaces left operating were the more modern coke foundries, such as the Globe Iron Company&nbsp;and JISCO (Jackson Iron and Steel Company).

Buckeye Furnace is one of the fewer than five iron furnaces that have been restored in the United States. The furnace was built in 1851 and closed in 1894. The furnace was capable of producing twelve tons of pig iron per day. During the Civil War, most of the iron produced by Buckeye Furnace was used purchased by the military and utilized by the Union Army.  Most of the charcoal furnaces were abandoned by the end of World War I, and only the stacks remain standing. In 1972, Buckeye Furnace was restored and now serves as a museum and general store. Buckeye Furnace sits on a 270-acre lot near Wellston, Ohio and east of Jackson, Ohio. The site hosts the Buckeye Furnace Fall Festival each year. 

Buckeye Furnace

This tour will lead you to several sites of the Hanging Rock iron region of the late 19th century. This region was the most productive for the United States at that time and produced iron for the civil war. The tour will first take you to the Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum, where you can see artifacts and information on the history of the iron industry of Lawrence County. You will then go to the Nannie Kelly Wright house, which was home to the second richest woman in the world at the time, Nannie Kelly Wright. After the Nannie Kelly Wright house, you will be guided to four different iron ore furnaces of the region. Each site and entry will have their own history and backstory, with the Olive Furnace entry containing an interview with the son of a local historian that worked to get  the Olive Furnace its historical marker.

Lawrence County Ohio Iron Industry Tour 

George Noah Gray was born February 10th, 1838 in
Pennsylvania. He first came to Lawrence County, Ohio in 1857 as a teacher, but
he soon went back to Pennsylvania to finish college. After the Civil War
started, Gray came back to Ohio to teach for a short time before enlisting in
the Union army in 1861. He was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh, but he returned
to duty months later as a part of the navy. Gray was discharged in 1863 after a
particularly grueling campaign. Once back in Ohio, he joined the National Guard
and was commissioned colonel of his regiment. After the war, he moved to
Ironton, Ohio and became an ironmaster in charge of the Hecla and Vesuvius
furnaces, which melted iron ore so that it could be molded into bars and
transported.

On July 5th, 1878, Colonel Gray and his wife
Eliza (nee
Elizabeth Ann Humphreys) bought an Italian Villa-style house that had been
built by Elizabeth Ferguson and her husband in 1870. Before moving in, the
Grays added to the back of the house and constructed a tower. More renovations occurred
over the years, including repairs after an 1882 attic fire, another addition in
1891, and the construction of a veranda in 1892. The Gray family stayed in the
house for almost 100 years. Upon the death of Emma Gray and her husband,
attorney Earle Stewart, their daughter Ann and son-in-law M. B. Edmundson moved
in. They sold the house in 1977. Eleven years later, the Lawrence County
Historical Society acquired the property and began turning it into a museum.
Restorations on the house were completed in 2000.

One of the exhibits in the museum
focuses on a notable guest of the Gray house: Eliza’s grandfather Reverend John
Rankin. Rankin was a Presbyterian minister and abolitionist in Ripley, Ohio. After
growing up in Tennessee and attending Washington College in Virginia, Rankin
came to Kentucky to form an anti-slavery society. His actions were not well-received,
so he moved to Ripley and began work as a conductor on the Underground
Railroad. Rankin helped as many as two thousand runaway slaves during his life
and was featured in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He also established the Ohio Anti-Slavery
Society in 1835. After his wife’s passing, Rankin moved from Kansas to the Gray
house where he died March 18, 1886.

The Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum is located in a house built by Elizabeth Ferguson and her husband in 1870. The Italian Villa-style house features iron cresting, a double-leafed paneled door, and a tower with portholes. From 1878 to 1977, the house was owned by the Gray family whose notable members included Colonel George N. Gray, a Union soldier and ironmaster, and abolitionist John Rankin. The Museum includes exhibits on both men as well as Nannie Kelly Wright, the only female ironmaster in the U.S., and other pieces of local history.

Lawrence County Historical Society and Museum

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Nannie Kelly Wright was born Nannie Honschell on September 8, 1856 in Catlettsburg, Kentucky. Her father, Commodore Honschell, was a steamboat captain along the Ohio River. On October 8th, 1879, Nannie married Lindsey Kelly, a Republican member of the Ohio Senate. The couple built a home on the corner of Fourth and Olive streets in Ironton, but mostly lived in hotels near Columbus during his term as senator.&nbsp;Lindsey Kelly’s family was in charge of the Center Iron Furnace in Lawrence County, Ohio. Such furnaces melted iron down so that it could be made into weapons, utensils, stoves, and other products. Business was doing poorly when Nannie decided to take matters into her own hands. In 1896 (or 1899 by some accounts), she used her own money to buy the furnace and the thousands of acres that went along with it for $19,500. She renovated the furnace as well as the homes provided for workers. Nannie was in-tune with the needs of her workers, paying for new schools, physicians, and other amenities for the community. She was also keenly aware of changing times: When the Spanish-American War started in 1898, Nannie ramped up production to meet the increased demand for iron. She became the only female ironmaster in the United States and one of the richest women of her time.Also in 1898, Nannie Kelly took her first trip around the world. She invested in more furnaces and other local enterprises and splurged on items from her world travels, like handcrafted marble and wood fireplace mantles from Italy. During one of her world tours, she was presented to King Edward VII of England. Living such an extraordinary life made Nannie a subject of great local interest. Newspapers in Ironton and nearby Huntington wrote about her travels, her guests, and her lavish parties. One paper even reported that she cashed a $100,000-dollar check in the Second National Bank. It was said that she was extravagant enough to build a private bowling alley behind her summer house yet down-to-earth enough to dress as a man and work in her own mines when needed. (Nannie never confirmed either of these claims. In fact, she vehemently denied the latter). In 1903, Lindsey Kelly died from pneumonia. Only a year later, his and Nannie’s only child, Lindsey Kelly, Jr. (born in 1883) died from heart trouble. Nannie began to travel more and work less, ultimately selling her furnaces in 1906. In 1908, Nannie married Daniel Gregory Wright of Philadelphia. They divorced in 1919, a year after purchasing the Bide-a-Wee home built by Edward James Bird, Sr. and his wife. After the stock market crash of 1929, Nannie lost much of her wealth. She was able to live comfortably until her death by selling off her jewels a few at a time. Nannie Kelly Wright died at the age of ninety in the Marting Hotel of Ironton on September or December 12, 1946 (sources conflict). She was buried in the Woodland Cemetery in Lawrence County, Ohio.&nbsp;The Bide-a-Wee home now belongs to Judge Richard Walton, whose grandparents bought it in 1945.</div></div>

The Queen Anne-style house called Bide-a-Wee (meaning “stay a while” in Ireland) was built by Edward James Bird, Sr. Bird passed away before construction was complete, and his widow sold it to Edwin Bixby, president of the First National Bank of Ironton. After his death, Bixby’s widow sold it to Nannie Kelly Wright, the only female ironmaster in the U.S. and one of the richest women of her time. Today, Judge Richard Walton and his family own Bide-a-Wee. 

Bide-A-Wee (Once the Home of Nannie Kelly Wright)

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.

Dating back to1832, Etna Furnace was one of the original iron furnaces of the Hanging Rock Iron Region. The furnace produced iron until it went cold in 1887. This furnace was located on the old Iron Railroad system and was also part of Lawrence County's "Underground Railroad" as the furnace's owners supported and hired many Black workers, including those who were traveling on their way from slavery to freedom. 

Old Etna Iron Furnace

Named for an Italian volcano, the Vesuvius Furnace was built in 1833. The rock chimney, constructed without the benefit of mortar, is only a small part of the operation that once produced iron here. On most sites, there are two levels. A storage yard was built on the upper level, even with the top of the chimney. The lower level was 35-40 feet below at the base of the chimney. The storage yard had numerous sheds containing charcoal (which had to be kept dry) and great piles of iron ore and limestone. The lower level was the casting house, the scale house, and carpenter and Blacksmith shops.&nbsp;

At the height of its glory, the Vesuvius Furnace was a leading example of ingenuity and efficiency. Under the direction of William Firmstone, the furnace pioneered a new technique to reduce heat requirements and increase production of "hot blast" furnace systems. During the Civil War, the Hanging Rock Iron District was one of only three places capable of producing the high-quality iron needed for heavy cannons. Other armaments, as well as pots, kettles, wagon wheels, and other implements, were made of iron from this region. It was said that during the War, the demand for iron became so great that many ironmasters would start the pigs of iron off to war before they cooled, and occasionally the hot iron would set the wagons on fire on the way to market.

The furnace employed about 100 men who worked as laborers, teamsters, ore-diggers, Blacksmith, carpenters, charcoal burners, storekeepers, and bookkeepers. The workers often were paid in goods or in scrip redeemable only at the company store. This kept them tied to the site since the scrip they earned had limited use.

To fuel the furnaces, nearby forests were repeatedly cut, and the wood was converted to charcoal. Each furnace required cutting 300 to 350 acres of timber annually to keep up with the demand. Charcoal made from second or third growth wood was said to be superior to that made from virgin timber. Even so, the forests couldn't grow fast enough to keep up with the furnaces, and an ever-widening circle of land was required to cut and haul wood.

Early predictions had boasted the iron ore in the Hanging Rock region would never be excelled in quality and was in sufficient supply to produce iron for 2,700 years. But shortly after the Civil War, the Hanging Rock seams were largely gone. During the same period, rich iron seams near Lake Superior were discovered. By the 1900s, most of the Hanging Rock furnaces had ceased operation, including the Vesuvius Furnace, which had its final blast in 1906.

Today's legacy to the iron industry are the scars of the iron mines and ghostly stacks of several of the iron furnaces. One of the most famous of the Hanging Rock furnaces was the Vesuvius Furnace, now part of a recreation area on the Wayne National Forest.

The Vesuvius Iron Furnace was one of sixty-nine charcoal iron furnaces located in the six-county Hanging Rock Iron Region of southern Ohio. The furnaces produced iron throughout the nineteenth century, peaking in 1875 when southeastern Ohio led the nation in iron production. Hanging Rock iron was noted for its rust and corrosion-resistant characteristics. A furnace would produce 8 to 12 tons of iron each day in the form of pig iron. Pig iron was then sold to manufacturers of other iron products. Early predictions had boasted the iron ore in the Hanging Rock region would produce iron for 2,700 years. But shortly after the Civil War, the Hanging Rock seams were depleted, and by the 1900’s, most of Hanging Rock’s furnaces had ceased operation.

Vesuvius Iron Furnace

Olive Iron Furnace was constructed in 1846 by John Campbell and operated its first blast in 1847 when construction was completed. John Campbell owned many of the iron ore furnaces in Southern Ohio and is the person that is known as the "father of Ironton." Olive Furnace is the biggest iron furnace in Southern Ohio still standing today and was part of the U.S. iron industry region of the 19th century.Olive Furnace was able to produce 3,000 tons of iron per year. To be able to produce that much iron, Olive Furnace had to be supplied 7,888 tons of ore, 11,370 cords of wood, and 411 tons of limestone each year. All materials were brought to the company store where they were weighed and credit given in the company records so the script could be issued. After weighing raw materials, they were carried to the stockyard and dumped. In the stockyards, all the raw materials had to be broken down to the correct size to be able to fit into the stockyard sheds. These materials would need to last from September to May each year. These nine months was the only time where iron furnace blasting could be done efficiently. It took about 300 acres of forest for every nine months to run the furnace.To charge the furnace, a two-wheeled pushcart was used to transport ore, charcoal, and limestone to the furnace. The charcoal would be put on first, followed by the ore and limestone last. The furnace would be charged every thirty minutes and tapped every twelve hours. when the furnace was tapped, the iron would be collected and the furnace would then be charged again with a new batch of iron ore going into the furnace. The furnace could make up to sixteen tons of iron a day. Each Saturday at 12pm, the furnace would be banked and left that way until 12pm on Sunday. This was done to quench the furnace fire and preserve the coke in the furnace. To go along with the charging of the furnace, Olive Furnace had a steam whistle that blew to signal the last blast before closing for the summer or to signal that someone had been severely hurt or burned. The whistle also was used to signal a shift change to the workers. The final whistle of the southern Ohio iron industry would sound at Jefferson furnace in May of 1916.The Company that controlled the Olive Furnace had a lot more buildings on the ground that the furnace set on. On the hill behind the furnace, there is the company cemetery where workers that died on the job and people of the surrounding countryside could be buried. Most of the graves cannot be seen nowadays, but one is still visible. This grave is enclosed within an iron fence and is believed to be the grave of one of the owners or managers of Olive Furnace. Across the road from the furnace, there were 4 main buildings. These buildings were the company store, two iron master's mansions, and the company church. Only the church stands today and is still used by the surrounding people today. The company that ran the Olive Furnace employed 300 men and allowed some of the families of the workers to build small homes on company land. None of these buildings are still standing today.One of the Mansions that was located across from the Olive Furnace was owned by an ironmaster by the name of W.N. McGugin. McGugin would take up work at the Olive Furnace in 1851 after traveling from Adams County, Ohio. He would buy out Mr. Peters in 1864 and become the ironmaster at Olive Furnace. He would keep buying out people's shares of the furnace and would even buy out John Campbell's share in 1883. He would build himself a mansion on the grounds and be the ironmaster of the furnace until his death in 1909. His son would take over and blow out the Olive furnace the next year in 1910.Along with the important role that Olive played in the iron industry of southern Ohio, legend states that the furnace played a very important role during the Civil War. The Olive furnace produced iron that was used for rifles for the union and was a stop on the underground railroad for escaped slaves. According to local history and legends, John Campbell rode in a large covered wagon between all of his furnaces. He would use this wagon to transport escaped slaves from one furnace to the next. The Underground Railroad was an informal network of safehouse and other places of refuge that made it possible for enslaved persons to escape from the Ohio River to various cities and other areas with the goal of many to reach Canada where they would no longer be subject to capture and re-enslavement owing to the terms of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. For those who reached places like Olive Furnace, each stop further north meant that they were closer to freedom.

Operating from 1846-1915, Olive Furnace was one of the longest operating iron ore furnaces in Southern Ohio. This furnace was built by John Campbell, known by many as the "Father of Ironton." Olive Furnace was able to produce sixteen tons of iron per day making this one of the most productive furnaces in Southern Ohio. Local legend also states that the furnace served as a place of shelter for those escaping slavery and traveling through the area in the years leading up to the Civil War. The furnace also produced and sold iron to the United States Army during the Civil War that was used in the creation of rifles.

Lawrence County Ohio Iron Industry Tour

Buckeye Furnace

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources