Near Garden in Delta County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Furnace Complex
Fayette Historic State Park
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
1. Furnace Complex Marker
Our five o'clock whistle [is] the most tedious noise ever made.
Escanaba Tribune
1872
The furnace complex was the heart of industrial Fayette. Here, the heat, roar and odors of the smelting operation merged with the shouts of men, whir of engines and shrill scream of steam whistles.
Nearly 230,000 tons of charcoal-iron were produced here from 1867-1890.
Erected by Fayette Historic State Park & Michigan Historical Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
Location. 45° 43.122′ N, 86° 40.094′ W. Marker is near Garden, Michigan, in Delta County. Marker can be reached from State Park Road, one mile west of II Road (State Highway 183). Marker is located along the interpretive trail in Fayette Historic State Park, overlooking the front (north) side of the furnace complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4785 II Road, Garden MI 49835, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Furnace Complex, Upper Level (within shouting distance of this marker); The Smelting Process (within shouting distance of this marker); Charcoal Kilns (within shouting distance of this marker); Waterline
this page online
More about this marker. Marker is a large, rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on a waist-high wooden post.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fayette Historic State Park
Also see . . .
1. Fayette Historic State Park. Fayette was once one of the Upper Peninsula's most productive iron-smelting operations. Fayette grew up around two blast furnaces, a large dock, and several charcoal kilns, following the post-Civil War need for iron. Nearly 500 residents — many immigrating from Canada, the British Isles, and northern Europe — lived in and near the town that existed to make pig iron. During 24 years of operation, Fayette's blast furnaces produced a total of 229,288 tons of iron, using local hardwood forests for fuel and quarrying limestone from the
Source: Michigan Historical Museum
2. Marker detail: The Fayette furnaces in operation during the 1870s.
2. Fayette Historic State Park website. (Submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
3. Furnace Complex Marker (wide view; furnace complex in background)
![Furnace Stacks #1 (1867) [left] & #2 (1870) [right] image. Click for full size.](Photos4/461/Photo461308.jpg?119201935800PM "Furnace Stacks #1 (1867) [left] & #2 (1870) [right]. Click for full size.")
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
4. Furnace Stacks #1 (1867) [left] & #2 (1870) [right]
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
5. Furnace Stack #1 Casting Room Interior
Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
