Fitchburg in Estill County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Fitchburg Furnace
June 26, 2015
1. Fitchburg Furnace Marker
Inscription.
Fitchburg Furnace. . The casting house was a wooden shed, which covered the sand moulds where the iron was run. Note the depression in the stone directly above the archway, which probably held the roof of the shed. Long trenches, sloping gradually from the front of the furnace, were made of moulding sand with enough clay to permit their being moulded to the desired shape. When the iron was ready to be drawn, a worker with long handled tongs would grasp the clay plug in the damstone, and with a skilled twist, removed it. The molten metal shot out of the opening, filling the main feeder trench. As this trench filled, guttermen diverted the molten iron into side trenches, forming a series of bars from 4 to 6 feet long and from 60 to 250 pounds each. Bars from the main trench were "sows", while bars from the side trenches were "pigs", hence, the term "pig iron".
The casting house was a wooden shed, which covered the sand moulds where the iron was run. Note the depression in the stone directly above the archway, which probably held the roof of the shed. Long trenches, sloping gradually from the front of the furnace, were made of moulding sand with enough clay to permit their being moulded to the desired shape. When the iron was ready to be drawn, a worker with long handled tongs would grasp the clay plug in the damstone, and with a skilled twist, removed it. The molten metal shot out of the opening, filling the main feeder trench. As this trench filled, guttermen diverted the molten iron into side trenches, forming a series of bars from 4 to 6 feet long and from 60 to 250 pounds each. Bars from the main trench were "sows", while bars from the side trenches were "pigs", hence, the term "pig iron".
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.
Location. 37° 43.984′ N, 83° 51.163′ W. Marker is in Fitchburg, Kentucky, in Estill County. It can be reached from Fitchburg Road 3.1 miles north of Kentucky Route 52. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ravenna KY 40472, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s The Knobs and in the Cumberland Plateau. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Fitchburg Furnace
Regarding Fitchburg Furnace. Red River Iron Furnace is #74000860 on the National Register of Historic Places.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Additional keywords. Red River Iron Furnace
June 26, 2015
2. Fitchburg Furnace
June 26, 2015
3. Fitchburg Furnace
Credits. This page was last revised on April 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2019. This page has been viewed 470 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 30, 2019. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
