1999 General Education Pilot Program
Iron Production in the 19th Century Shenandoah Valley
"The Iron Blast Furnace and the Iron Industry and Its
Influence in the Valley of Virginia"
Obscured by years of history, the iron blast furnace has been rediscovered through a student's research project on iron making in 19th century Shenandoah Valley. Jason Breeding, a cadet at VMI, has been extensively working on a group project on iron production. Cadet Breeding’s portion of the project deals with the history of the iron industry, the design of the iron blast furnace, and the influence that the iron making process had on the valley. His paper on the iron industry is to be published next month in the critically acclaimed magazine, The Iron Worker. Since Cadet Breeding is a student here at VMI, his paper will be seen exclusively in this edition of the Institute Report.
The origin of the iron blast furnace begins quite early in America’s history. Iron works were in all of the thirteen colonies except Georgia (Bradford 1). The first ironworks was founded near the Jamestown settlement in 1622 (Salmon 3), where it would become one of the leading manufacturer even after colonial times (Bradford 1). However, the iron making process was delayed due to Indian attacks upon the settlers and ironworks, causing the iron industry in Virginia not to be initiated until the early 18th century. It was Governor Spotswood who imported German miners to the present-day Spotslyvania County for purpose of iron making in 1716 (Salmon 4). In just nine years Governor Spotswood’s establishment would be worth over 7,500 British pounds (Bradford 6). Spotswood’s success at iron making caused an immediate surge in the iron making industry. Virginia had four iron furnaces by 1732 (Salmon 4). Each of these furnaces contained small communities that were self-sufficient on the land around them (Salmon 4). In 1742, furnaces began to open in the Valley of Virginia. One of the first iron blast furnaces -- Marlboro Works, in Fredrick County, Virginia -- was began by Isaac Zane (Salmon 4,6). Rockbridge County had its first iron furnace producing bar iron by 1800 (Salmon 12). The iron industry really began to boom when iron masters like John Jordan and William Weaver entered the valley. William Weaver was a prominent Pennsylvanian who moved to Virginia in 1815 to become more involved in his iron business. He owned over 7,800 acres of land just at Buffalo Forge (Salmon 51). His iron blast furnaces still exist today just a few miles from Lexington.
By 1850 the Valley of Virginia had over 30 iron furnaces (Salmon 14), but there was a dark cloud ahead for the iron industry. As the North and the British found cheaper, more productive ways to produce iron, the iron blast furnace began to lose its efficiency in the South. The British used steam engines to create the blast and coal instead of charcoal, cutting the production of iron by half. Pennsylvania iron companies also began using coal as their fuel (Salmon 66). Although the iron industry had begun its decline, it didn’t fully die out in Buena Vista until 1923 when the Allegheny Ore and Iron Company closed their furnace (Clinton n.p.).
The iron blast furnace was used to "convert iron ore into pig iron that could be made into malleable iron" (Clinton 1). This conversion required four items: timber, water, iron ore, and limestone. Iron making usually began in the spring, when the furnace was blown or broken in (Bradford 60). This process created a "lining with a composition of lime, clay, and common salt…[that was melted] into a liquid slag, glaz[ing] the whole interior" (Clinton 3). The process would be complete after a few days of drying the furnace out with a small fire. When the furnace was completely dry, it was filled with charcoal and iron ore and fluxing ingredients. Once the iron had been smelted from the iron ore, it gathered in the crucible. Once in the crucible, the iron could be tapped. The tapping of the iron allowed the iron to leave the furnace and flow into casts referred to as sows and then into individual casts called pigs, hence the name pig iron. The brown hematite iron ore found in the mountains in the Shenandoah Valley yielded 49.7% to 58.38% pig iron (Hotchkiss 14,16). The limestone acted as the fluxing agent that removed the impurities from the iron ore in the form of slag. Slag had to be removed from the furnace up to four times an hour (Clinton 4,5). The timber was used to make the charcoal necessary for the furnace glaze and the heating. Waterpower was the most vital and valuable resource because it couldn't be moved -- unlike the timber, the limestone, and iron ore -- and it powered the bellows to keep temperatures high in the furnace.
The exterior of the blast furnace was an immense structure that stood about 30-40 feet made out of huge blocks of limestone from a local quarry. The blast furnace was constructed of limestone, and its hearth was built with sandstone. The furnaces were located near hills in order for a transport bridge to be built between the furnace and the bridge house. "When the Buena Vista furnace was in operation a building known as the bridge house ran from the hillock near the furnace to the top of the stack. Through the bridge house were trundled the coal, flux, iron ore, all of which were dumped into the mouth of the furnace" (Bradford 60).
Once the iron making process was started, it would go on from the day into the night. "[The process of making iron] was noisy, hot and [it was a very] colorful operation" (Bradford 61). Iron making included not only the furnace, but also many skilled workers, from mining the ore to preparing the charcoal to blacksmithing (Brady 4). Workers were also needed in the production of the iron; "[e]xperts were needed to know the proper proportion of ingredients to go into the furnace…[m]illwrights to build and maintain the water wheels…[and] the blacksmith, the last man between the piece of iron and the public" (Brady 5).
The blast furnace's large
structure towering as high as forty feet.
Buena Vista Furnace No. 1 Interior (top) Exterior
(bottom)
The iron making industry provided many jobs for the Valley of Virginia. But the industry in Virginia was driven by slavery. The Buena Vista No.1 furnace was destroyed by Union soldiers who discombobulated the production of iron, weakening the local economy. Once the Civil War had ended and slavery had been abolished, it was almost impossible to find anyone skilled enough to work the furnace. Buffalo Forge, Rockbridge’s well-known forge, "ceased operations…soon after the collapse of the Confederacy" (Brady 7). This would be the trend in the rest of the South where slavery played a vital role in labor forces. The iron making industry was now over for the South and the once flourishing and vital economic industry finally left.
There is no doubt that the iron making industry had a great effect on the Valley of Virginia. The iron industry provided jobs for both blacks and whites. The manufacture of iron tools, such as the mechanical reaper invented by Rockbridge County native Cyrus McCormick, eased farmers’ jobs and increased their productivity. Iron also created home items like kettles and pots. Making iron involved people from various professions, from slaves to artisans. A bond has been created through all those people who have labored in any step of the process that has brought an item to you, a bond so strong that you can see it in the detail of their handmade work, a bond of iron.
Iron products made at Buffalo Forge.