Kuttawa in Lyon County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Suwanee Furnace
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Iron Made in Kentucky
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 12, 2018
1. Suwanee Furnace Marker
Suwanee Furnace. Built by 1851, 200 yds. NW, by William Kelly, whose experiments there perfected his invention of the so-called Bessemer method of making steel, for which Kelly was granted the patent. The blast furnace was a brick stack 35 ft. high, 10 ft. maximum inner width, steam-powered, charcoal fueled. Made 1700 tons of iron in 1857, its last year.
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 1970 by the Kentucky Historical Society Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 1327.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources • Waterways & Vessels. 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 1851.
Location. 37° 2.952′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase. It is also in the American Midwest, in the 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: (Kelly Furnace) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kelly Kettle (approx. 2.1 miles away); New Union Forge / Iron Made in Kentucky (approx. 3 miles away); Eddyville Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky (approx. 4.1 miles away); Mineral Mound Home Site (approx. 4.1 miles away); In Honor of Cobb's Battery (approx. 4.2 miles away); Dr. George M. Huggans (approx. 4.9 miles away); Last Skirmish in Ky.
Courtesy of Mr & Mrs Wendell Vaughn (aka ReedKyCacheFinders), April 4, 2009
2. Iron Made in Kentucky Marker
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 12, 2018
3. Suwanee Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky Marker looking north on KY-810.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 12, 2018
4. Direction of the former furnace.
Public domain
5. William Kelly, inventor.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 974 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 23, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on September 24, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 23, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
