Brown Township in McArthur in Vinton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The History of Lake Hope
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, May 28, 2024
1. Life In Hope Marker
Life for most workers was anything but prosperous. Most furnace employees lived in Hope, a company town of about 300 resident that sprung up east of the furnace. Like many company towns of the era, the furnace provided housing and paid workers with a script from the company store. Merchandise was overpriced and the script was worthless in other stores. While the ironmaster, storekeepers and company secretary lived well, most iron workers lived in small 16 to 18 foot square dirt-floored log houses. During the wartime prosperity, the town swelled to over 500 residents. Hope was abandoned when its furnace closed in 1874, after having only operated for 20 years. The legacy of the furnaces, however, lives on in the stone towers scattered over the landscape of the Hanging Rock iron region and the imaginations of those who visit them.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 39° 19.938′ N, 82° 20.445′ W. Marker is in McArthur, Ohio, in Vinton County. It is in Brown Township. It is on Ohio 278. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 27331 OH-278, Mc Arthur OH 45651, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Hocking Hills and 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hope Furnace Ruins (within shouting distance of this marker); Hope Furnace / Hanging Rock Iron Region
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. The Hanging Rock Blast Furnace (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); From Forest to Furnace (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Furnace Legacy (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Life in Zaleski (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Hanging Rock Iron Region (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, May 28, 2024
2. The History of Lake Hope Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2024, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 391 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2024, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
