Along my way, I stopped at a couple of Iron Furnaces, remnants of the 19th century iron industry.   I've enjoyed these massive stone structures since first exploring the old Stamp Creek furnaces in Bartow Co., GA. 1. Glenwood Furnace, Rockbridge County, VA Glenwood Furnace, located near Natural Bridge, was built in 1849.   The complex included the iron furnace, a casting house and other support facilities.   The original cold-blast charcoal stack was 38 ft. high and 9 ft. across the bosh.   A tub bellows powered by a waterwheel was set close to the stack; a raceway ran from Elk Creek to the waterwheel.   Approximately 5,000 acres of forest were logged to supply charcoal to this furnace.   The furnace was rebuilt and reconditioned in 1874 as a warm-blast furnace.   The Glenwood Furnace (also known as the Cassandra Furnace) was abandoned in 1887.

Glenwood Furnace stack

View inside at the broken bosh

View from arch on the opposite side

2. Catherine Furnace, Page County, VA Built in 1836, Catherine Furnace was one of three Page County furnaces in operation during the Civil War.   The 32 foot tall main stack is all that remains of the cold-blast furnace and once huge operation here.   22,500 acres supplied wood for charcoal to smelt the iron ore. With labor scarce, local whites, free blacks and slaves worked here to furnish the Confederacy with pig iron.   Wagons transported the pig iron to Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, the "Ironmaker of the Confederacy" and largest such operation in the South. The furnace was abandoned in 1885.

Catherine Furnace

Furnace from the rear

Front arch and draw hole

Side draw hole and vent

Nearby stone wall This may have been a raised loading platform, but it was too grown up & brambly to explore.

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