Bluff View in Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Bluff Furnace Historical Park

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021

1. Bluff Furnace Historical Park Marker

Inscription.

Bluff Furnace Historical Park. . , This Park commemorates the history of one of Chattanooga's first heavy industries. Bluff Furnace, built in 1854 and put into operation in 1856, was a steam-powered blast furnace that reduced iron ore into usable cast iron. This iron was sent to local foundries to be made into tools, implements, and machinery. As a forerunner in iron technology of the 1800's, Bluff Furnace was the first in the southern Appalachian region to use coked coal as a fuel in a modern cupola-style furnace. It was torn down shortly before the Civil War began. The original foundations of the casting shed and furnace base appear behind you., The signs and model in front of you explain the history and significance of one of the South's most innovative industrial sites. Reflecting the unique historical significance of the site, Bluff Furnace was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1980., This Park celebrates the rich industrial heritage of Chattanooga and stands as a testament to the energy and dedication of all those who labor in the iron industry, both past and present. Contributors to the development of the Park include the American Foundrymen's Society, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, the City of Chattanooga, the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, the Tonya Foundation, the Chattanooga Coke and Chemical Company, Campbell Construction Company, the James Wilson Company, Porter-Warner Industries, U.S. Pipe and Foundry, Combustion Engineering, the Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology, Junior League Garden Club, Missionary Ridge Garden Club, Woodland Garden Club, Colonial Shores Garden Club, Riveroaks Garden Club, Fairyland Garden Club, Garden Club of Riverview, Hickory Valley Garden Club, Signal Mountain Guild Gardeners, Garden Club of Signal Mountain, and the loyal members of Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga, Inc., Bluff Furnace Historical Park is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence Brown, who first discovered the site and recognized its ultimate importance to our shared historic past., Caption (center): Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence Brown

This Park commemorates the history of one of Chattanooga's first heavy industries. Bluff Furnace, built in 1854 and put into operation in 1856, was a steam-powered blast furnace that reduced iron ore into usable cast iron. This iron was sent to local foundries to be made into tools, implements, and machinery. As a forerunner in iron technology of the 1800's, Bluff Furnace was the first in the southern Appalachian region to use coked coal as a fuel in a modern cupola-style furnace. It was torn down shortly before the Civil War began. The original foundations of the casting shed and furnace base appear behind you.

The signs and model in front of you explain the history and significance of one of the South's most innovative industrial sites. Reflecting the unique historical significance of the site, Bluff Furnace was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1980.

This Park celebrates the rich industrial heritage of Chattanooga and stands as a testament to the energy and dedication of all those who labor in the iron industry, both past and present. Contributors to the development of the Park include the American

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Foundrymen's Society, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, the City of Chattanooga, the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, the Tonya Foundation, the Chattanooga Coke and Chemical Company, Campbell Construction Company, the James Wilson Company, Porter-Warner Industries, U.S. Pipe and Foundry, Combustion Engineering, the Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology, Junior League Garden Club, Missionary Ridge Garden Club, Woodland Garden Club, Colonial Shores Garden Club, Riveroaks Garden Club, Fairyland Garden Club, Garden Club of Riverview, Hickory Valley Garden Club, Signal Mountain Guild Gardeners, Garden Club of Signal Mountain, and the loyal members of Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga, Inc.

Bluff Furnace Historical Park is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence Brown, who first discovered the site and recognized its ultimate importance to our shared historic past.

Caption (center): Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence Brown

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.

Location. 35° 3.368′ N,

Bluff Furnace Historical Park Marker detail (original) image. Click for full size.

Harper's Weekly via Tennessee River Valley

2. Bluff Furnace Historical Park Marker detail (original)

Undated illustration of Ross's Landing at Chattanooga

85° 18.424′ W. Marker is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It is in Bluff View. It can be reached from Bluff View Avenue. Marker is in an alcove by the Williams Stairway on the Tennessee Riverwalk. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Bluff View Ave, Chattanooga TN 37403, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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 original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga (here, next to this marker); Innovation and Disaster (here, next to this marker); From Oblivion to Rebirth: Archaeological Research at the Bluff Furnace Site (here, next to this marker); Bluff Furnace Historic Site

Unknown via Tennessee River Valley

3. Bluff Furnace Historical Park Marker detail (original)

Bluff Furnace in 1860, with a coke-fired cupola furnace stack.

(within shouting distance of this marker); The Cherokee, the Chickamauga, and John Ross (within shouting distance of this marker); Chattanooga's Early Industry (within shouting distance of this marker); Ed Johnson Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Ross's Landing: River Crossing and Port (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chattanooga.

Regarding Bluff Furnace Historical Park. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company Blast Furnace. The nomination form is not available online because the site's address is restricted from public view, although the location now is publicly known.

Also see . . . Taking The Steps To Nowhere: Bluff Foundry Park. An overview of the park's creation, by Mark A. Herndon in The Chattanoogan, March 17, 2016. (Submitted on October 19, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021

4. Bluff Furnace Historical Park Marker

Marker is the standalone one on the left.

Bluff Furnace and Chattanooga Industry image. Click for more information.

via C-SPAN, 2013

5. Bluff Furnace and Chattanooga Industry

C-Span video (6m 9s) Professor Nicholas Honerkamp of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga visited the Bluff Furnace and spoke about its impact on Chattanooga's industrial history.
Click for more information.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,120 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 19, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 5. submitted on June 23, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.