What Are Coke Ovens?

What Are Coke Ovens?. . Coke ovens, such as the ones you see in the park, are used to convert coal into coke, a cleaner burning fuel that produces little smoke. Construction here started in the late 1880's, with 140 ovens producing coke by 1889. The end buttresses that remain standing once held in place the insulating layer of earth covering the beehive coke ovens. Now referred to as rows two and three, these rows each contained double ovens (ovens on each side of the row) and were the first two rows built., By the summer of 1890, in the midst of Alabama's iron and steel industry boom times, more coke than ever before was needed. To feed this growing demand for coke, rows of single ovens were added on each side of the original two rows, creating a total of 467 ovens stretching along four rows., Coke was the fuel that helped power the iron and steel industry in nearby Birmingham. Charred from coal much like charcoal is charred from wood, coke provided many benefits over uncooked coal. It burned hotter than coal, was lighter to transport and held fewer of the impurities, such as sulfur, that could weaken the integrity of steel.