Sheffield in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Furnace Hill

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, June 17, 2009

1. Furnace Hill Marker

Inscription. Center of Industry for new town of Sheffield. Five blast furnaces with 75 ft stacks build 1886~1895 1/2 mile west. Promoted by E. W. Cole and E. Ensley. Iron ore and limestone from Franklin Co., coke from Walker Co. and Virginia used. Hattie Ensley Furnace, most successful, produced 221 tons pig iron daily. Iron barged down Tennessee River. Furnaces operated by Sloss ~ Sheffield Iron & Steel Co until 1927.

Erected 1976 by Jim Walter Corp., U.S. Steel Corp., and American Chemical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Landmarks • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.

Location. 34° 45.558′ N, 87° 42.48′ W. Marker is in Sheffield, Alabama, in Colbert County. It is at the intersection of W. 20th Street and W. 15th Street on W. 20th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 W 20th St, Sheffield AL 35660, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama

and in the Shoals.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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: Nitrate Plant No. 1 (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Nitrate Plant No. 1 (approx. ¼ mile away); President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (approx. half a mile away); History of Sheffield (approx. 0.6 miles away);

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In Memory of Our Comrades of Sheffield (approx. 0.6 miles away); Percy Sledge / Producer Quin Ivy (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Singing River Sculpture (approx. 0.6 miles away); Winston Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sheffield.

Also see . . . Local Chemist Will Pay Furnace Hill Workers Tribute. Article from Times Daily, Sunday Morning March 28 1976, page 4. (Submitted on March 9, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

Barges are still heavily used to carry cargo on the Tennessee River. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, November 27, 2009

2. Barges are still heavily used to carry cargo on the Tennessee River.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2018. It was originally submitted on March 9, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 2,815 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 9, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on September 14, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.