Madison Furnace is located in the Hanging Rock Iron Region along Grassy Fork of Symmes Creek in Jackson County, Ohio.
Madison Furnace, located in the Hanging Rock Iron Region along Grassy Fork of Symmes Creek in Jackson County, Ohio, was constructed in 1854 by John P. Terry and John Peters, among others. 1 2 3 4 Shortly before the Civil War, ownership of the furnace passed to E.D. Ricker and then to Peters, Clare & Company in 1869, and finally to Clare, Duduit & Company in 1871, all of which were under the control of J.D. Clare. 4 It finally went to the Wellston Iron & Steel Company during the Spanish American War.
It featured a stack 35 feet high with a bosh nine feet wide. Fueled by charcoal, its hot air blast was powered by a steam engine which allowed for a daily production capacity of 14 tons. 3 The furnace was served by the Portsmouth Branch of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, with the initial shipment of iron being delivered to Clay in July 1854. Madison Furnace ceased operations around the turn of the 20th century.
Directions: Madison Furnace is located along County Route 2 (C H and D Road) within the Cooper Hollow Wildlife Area in Jackson County, Ohio.
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Sources
- “Jackson County: Railroad Era Commences.” A Standard History of the Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio. Ed. Eugene B. Willard et al. Vol. 1. 1916. Marceline, MO: Walsworth, n.d. 453-456. Print.
- Rowe, Frank H. “Franklin Furnace.” History of the Iron and Steel Industry in Scioto County, Ohio. Columbus: F.J. Heer, 1938. 80-82. Print.
- Markiel, J. Old Industry 2006. Articles.
- “Blast Furnaces.” History of Lower Scioto Valley, Ohio. Inter-State Publishing Company, 1884, pp. 495-498.
