Hale & Murdock Iron Furnaces

Hale and Murdock Iron Furnaces. . , Just 150 yards to the south was located the old Hale and Murdock Furnace the only ironworks in Alabama to escape Union attack during the Civil War. Built in 1859 by Harrison Hale and Abraham Murdock, manufacturers and merchants from Columbus, Mississippi, the works also included the nearby Wilson's Creek Forge erected in 1857. Hate and Murdock also built and operated some of the first cotton mills in Mississippi. A new furnace erected by Joseph Weston replaced the older one here in 1862 and employed 150 men. Much of the labor used in furnace construction and operation was slave labor, the Confederate government supplying the skilled workmen., (Reverse Side) , Brown iron ore, found in nearby deposits, and charcoal made from local forests, were utilized in the manufacture of pig iron and castings, including hollow ware, plow points, and later war material. Because these works were off the federal line of march, the plant escaped destruction and operated for about four years after the war ended. In January of 1870, the company went out of business due to lack of transportation and competition from more favorably located furnace. Its remaining assets were sold at public auction. A decade later Alabama's iron industry would be centered in Birmingham.