Pig Iron Production in Greenup, County Kentucky mid to late 1800's

My great grandfather, John H. Madden dug iron ore on my home farm in Greenup County, Kentucky. Just below my house was one of the craters where ore was dug. He sold his ore to the Kenton furnace.

Kenton 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.

As a kid with a magnet, I found many of the rocks and gravels were magnetic.

Greenup County, Kentucky Irin Furnaces

 Iron age Charles Romans The Independent Jun 2, 2014 (0) 0602pigiron2.jpg Charles Romans For the Independent Remains of "Sow Belly" furnace.

Raccoon Freewill Baptist Church sits on the rise of a low hill on Ky. 2 in Greenup County.

Past the neat white church, beyond the graveled parking lot, a tree grows in the field that gently slopes away from that low hill. Honeysuckle and other vining plants cover the base of the tree, somewhat obscuring the shape of the tree’s base, as well as the sight of the massive stone blocks and a small white sign that reads “Raccoon Furnace.”

The tree, tall as a church steeple, grows upward from what at one time was the chimney of a pig iron furnace. During the heyday of the American Industrial Revolution (early to late 1800s, roughly), ironworks with furnaces like Raccoon Furnace operated constantly, refining iron from the raw ore mined from the surrounding hills.

Iron ore and charcoal were heated in the furnace until the mixture became molten, and a “flux” of limestone was added to help the mixture separate from the rock. Oxygen was forced into the furnace through pipes known as ‘tuyeres,’ that were run by bellows that operated on water or steam, to increase the heat and aid in the refining process. The heavier molten iron sank to the bottom of the hearth and the impurities (slag) flowed to the top.

The molten metal could then be directed through a canal into what was known as a “pig bed,” which when cooled yielded individual bars — or “pigs” — of iron. At that point the pigs could be shipped by wagon or boat to manufacturers for the production of diverse items such as nails, spoons, kettles and Franklin fireplaces.

The iron produced by these furnaces was transported to and shipped from Poage’s Landing (now Ashland) and Hanging Rock, Ohio, to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

The discovery of rich ore deposits, and the subsequent impact on the local economy, was made by Greenup County farmer Richard Deering. Deering was boiling down salt for use on his farm when he discovered the deposits. In 1815 Deering built a small business to produce farm and kitchen implements, but his business quickly grew.

In 1818 Deering partnered with David and John Trimble to build Argillite Furnace. The Kentucky Geological Survey approximates that about 30 such furnaces were built during Kentucky’s “Iron Age.” Eighteen of them were built in the immediate area.

It could be said that the economic backbone of the United States was made of steel; and Kentucky furnaces played a part in the mining and refining of the iron used to make that steel. In 1851 an iron master in Kentucky named William Kelly developed a process of converting pig iron into steel.

British inventor Henry Bessemer, independent of Kelly, also developed and perfected a technique in 1856, which became known as the “Bessemer method.” This, combined with the open hearth process of Abraham Hewitt in 1856, allowed the industry to raise furnace temperatures and decrease impurities. The result was higher quality steel which increased the overall use and value of (and demand for) American steel.

During their time of operation, the pig iron furnaces consumed massive amounts of raw materials in the form of timber, limestone and ore and changed both the surrounding landscape and the economic landscape forever. Some of these furnaces were engineering feats in and of themselves when the technology of the day is considered. Laurel Furnace, for instance, built in 1848 by the Wurts Brothers, has the distinction of being one of only three in the United States whose base was carved from the side of the hill itself. It had an annual production capacity of approximately 2,000 tons and employed 80 men. In one year the men consumed 75,000 pounds of meat, 600 barrels of flour and 15,000 bushels of corn.

Laurel Furnace in Oldtown is one of the few remaining furnaces today. It and New Hampshire Furnace are intact and well preserved; but the Buffalo, Hunnewell and Raccoon furnaces, though visible, are in ruins. The remains of the Buffalo Furnace can be seen at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park.

A sign gives pertinent historical information concerning the furnace, and the furnace itself can be seen by park visitors. Greenbo also has a display on the third floor of the Jesse Stuart Lodge of a model of the furnace ironworks, and at the end of the parking lot is “Sow Bell,” part of the last iron made in the furnace.

Unfortunately, there are no visible signs of many of the furnaces today. Some were allowed to fall into disuse and eventual ruin. Others were scavenged of usable materials, with the massive stones repurposed as bridge foundations or for other building needs. Princess Furnace in Boyd County was sold by the original owners, dismantled and moved to Virginia (though it retained the name “Princess”). All that is left of it is a retaining wall. Others, such as Raccoon Furnace, retain enough of the original design shape to be somewhat recognizable to those who know something of the area’s history.

The iron produced in Kentucky pig iron furnaces during the Industrial Revolution was likely used in things such as the John Deere steel plow (1837), not to mention the more than 30,000 miles of steel railroad rails laid between 1830 and 1861. The furnaces themselves may have shut down and the stones cooled long ago, but the pig iron and steel they produced has crossed the country, and no doubt the world.

Kenton 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: