Raw Materials
The iron-making process required three basic ingredients: iron ore, charcoal, and limestone. When mixed in proper amounts and subjected to intense heat in the furnace, these ingredients combined to produce molten iron and a waste material called slag.
Iron Ore
The primary ingredient in the iron-making process was iron ore.
The ore used at Buckeye Furnace was mined in the vicinity and
transported in wagons to the furnace.
The iron ore in this region was found near the surface in seams five- to eight-inches thick. Miners seldom dug deeper than twelve feet to find the ore. Then, they stripped away the soil and rock that overlaid the ore.
After ore arrived at the furnace stockyard, it was "roasted” to get rid of the impurities. This process required furnace workers to construct a mound consisting of layers of charcoal and iron ore covered with soil (Illustration 1). The charcoal was ignited and allowed to burn for several days. As the charcoal burned, it removed impurities from the ore.
Once the ore was purified, it was stored in the yard or in the stock shed until it was needed. The ore was then transported to the charging shed for use in the furnace.
A teamster and his mule team pull approximately 100 bushels of charcoal, Jefferson Furnace, Jackson County.
A kiln of ore ready to be fired, Keystone Furnace, Jackson County.
circa 1865-1877.
Topics and series.
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Location. 39° 3.35′ N, 82° 27.383′ W. Marker is in Buckeye Furnace, Ohio, in Jackson County. It is on Buckeye Park Road (County Road 167) 0.2 miles north of Buckeye Road (County Road 165), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 Buckeye Park Rd, Wellston OH 45692, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern 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 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Charcoal (within shouting distance of this marker); Limestone (within shouting
Other markers no longer nearby. Stockyard (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Stock Shed (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 10, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
