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

The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021

1. The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga Marker

Inscription. The Chattanooga Region was rich in mineral resources, including hematite iron ore. The convergence of river transportation and railroads at Chattanooga guaranteed access to markets for iron products such as pig iron bars, and finished castings such as railroad car wheels.

Ross's Landing 1838 The Treaty of New Echota in 1835 opened the lands south of the Tennessee River to Anglo-American settlement. At the former Cherokee trading post of John Ross, white settlers landed in the shadow of high limestone bluffs. River craft of all sorts were unloaded at Ross's Landing to supply the pioneer town being built among the hills near the ferry landing. In 1839, the inhabitants of Ross's Landing met to form a local government for the new town renamed Chattanooga.

Seeking to open the interior of the State of Georgia to commercial development, the Western and Atlantic Railroad was chartered to run north from the railhead at Atlanta to a port town on the Tennessee River — Chattanooga. By 1854, Tennessee had opened the Nashville and Tennessee Railroad from the state capitol to link with the W&A Railroad terminal at Chattanooga, thus

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securing the town's commercial future as a river and rail hub for the region.

Among those realizing the economic potential of the town were Robert Cravens and James Anderson Whiteside. Both were impressed with the industrial potential of the Chattanooga region, and together, they forged the cradle of iron manufacture in lower East Tennessee.

Bluff Furnace 1858 Their East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company expanded its operations from Eagle Furnace and Forge on White's Creek, and by 1853 had opened a foundry near the railyards at Chattanooga. The following year, the largest and most technically advanced smelter in Tennessee, called Bluff Furnace, was completed. In 1856, this steam-powered, hot-blast, charcoal-fired furnace began smelting hematite iron ores into pig iron bars.

Using natural resources found locally and around the region, this blast furnace produced quality cast-iron pigs which were then shipped down river to the iron markets at St. Louis.

The production of quality, foundry-grade iron in Tennessee placed it first among all southern states in the 1850s. However, the number and the technology of northern furnaces,

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021

2. The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga Marker

Marker is the left one on the back row.

in states such as Pennsylvania, made competition difficult.

Robert Cravens, Ironmaster
1805-1888 Since 1839, Cravens had operated Eagle Furnace and Forge on White's Creek in Roane County. In 1847, with other prominent East Tennesseans, he formed the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company. Moving to Chattanooga in 1851, Cravens began the construction of a blast furnace near the ferry crossing at Ross's Landing.

James A. Whiteside, Entrepreneur
1803-1861 Lawyer and politician, entrepreneur and businessman, James Whiteside served as president of the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company until his death in 1861. Whiteside successfully promoted Ross's Landing as the terminus of the W&A Railroad, then spearheaded the incorporation of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.

Location. 35° 3.368′ N, 85° 18.422′ W. Marker is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It is in Bluff View. It can be reached from

The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga Marker detail (original) image. Click for full size.

Harper's Weekly via Tennessee River Valley

3. The Beginnings of Iron Manufacture in Chattanooga Marker detail (original)

An undated illustration of Ross's Landing at Chattanooga.

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: Bluff Furnace Historical Park (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 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cherokee, the Chickamauga, and John Ross (within shouting distance of this marker); Chattanooga's Early Industry

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(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.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,443 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 19, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.