The Fitchburg Furnace was constructed in 1869 in the Red River Iron Region in Estill County, Kentucky.
Fitchburg Furnace, located in the Red River Iron Region along Millers Fork in Estill County, Kentucky, 1 2 was designed by Fred Fitch and constructed by masons from Ravenna, Italy 3 in 1869 at the cost of $160,000. 1 2 It opened under the supervision of Sam Worthley and the Red River Iron Manufacturing Company. 2 3 The furnace, which was the largest of its type in the world, was built purely on speculation by local businessmen during the western railroad construction boom.
Fitchburg Furnace featured two stacks, Blackstone and Chandler, each 60 feet high with a bosh 12½ feet wide. 1 It employed over 1,000 workers and had a daily tonnage output of 25 tons. 1 2 3 However, the economic Panic of 1873 and the discovery of rich iron ore in the Birmingham, Alabama region led to the closure of furnace after producing 16,000 tons of iron. 1 2 The former industrial site was donated by Joyce Russell Broaddus and Toska Russell Middleton to the United States Forest Service on April 6, 1973. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1974.
Directions: Fitchburg Furnace is located along KY Route 975 within the Daniel Boone National Forest in Estill County, Kentucky.
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Sources
- Rowe, Frank H. “Franklin Furnace.” History of the Iron and Steel Industry in Scioto County, Ohio. Columbus: F.J. Heer, 1938. 80-82. Print.
- Interpretative markers. United States Forest Service. December 17, 2006.
- “Fitchburg Furnace.” Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails. 2006. July 18, 2007 Article.
