Midland in Bath County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Caney Furnace
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Iron Made in Kentucky
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 4, 2017
1. Caney Furnace Marker
Caney Furnace
Stood five miles south. This stone stack, built 1837-38 by Harrison Connor and Joshua Ewing, Sr., was among first iron furnaces west of the Alleghenies to be equipped with a hot-blast oven, a device to preheat the air blown through the stack. Charcoal-fueled and steam-powered, it operated until 1849, and made iron again briefly in 1857-58.
Iron Made in Kentucky
A major producer since 1791, Ky. ranked 3rd in US in 1830s, 11th in 1965. Charcoal timber, native ore, limestone supplied material for numerous furnaces making pig iron, utensils, munitions in the Hanging Rock, Red River, Between Rivers, Rolling Fork, Green River Regions. Old charcoal furnace era ended by depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads. See over.
Erected 1969 by Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 1226.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Appalachian Iron Furnaces, and the Kentucky Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.
Location. 38° 7.981′ N, 83° 34.649′ W.
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Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Outer Bluegrass. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: An Early Boom Town (approx. 1.7 miles away); Morgan Raiders' Camp (approx. 1.7 miles away); Unwind with Us (approx. 2.3 miles away); Clear Creek Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky (approx. 2.3 miles away); Olympian Springs (approx. 7.2 miles away); Morehead Chesapeak And Ohio Railway Freight Depot (approx. 8½ miles away); In Memory of the Victims of the 1939 Flood (approx. 8.6 miles away); First Faculty And Staff
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 4, 2017
2. Iron Made in Kentucky Marker
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 4, 2017
3. Caney Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 862 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 15, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
