Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) is the remains of an early 19th-century iron-making furnace in Cherokee County, South Carolina.[3][4] The site shows early American iron-making technology. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[1]

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)
Cowpens Iron Furnace
LocationCherokee County, South Carolina
Nearest cityGaffney, South Carolina
Area15 acres (6.1 ha)
Builtca. 1807
rebuilt 1834
NRHP reference No.87000704[1][2]
Added to NRHPMay 8, 1987

Iron making began in Upstate South Carolina just before the Revolutionary War. The iron making furnaces were located in areas that had deposits of iron ore and limestone, forests to supply wood to make charcoal, and water power to operate the bellows. In the 1850s, the local iron works faced increased competition from Northern furnaces using anthracite coal to produce iron that could be easily transported by rail.[5][6]

The furnace was constructed around 1807. In 1834, it was purchased and rebuilt by the South Carolina Manufacturing Company, which was located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The furnace was operated until around 1850. Although the furnace has partially collapsed, parts of it are over 20 ft (6.1 m) tall. In addition to the furnace, the road bed, a flat unloading area above the furnace, and heaps of ore, charcoal, and slag remain on the site.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Ferguson, Terry (1986). "Early Ironworks of Northwestern South Carolina TR". Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  3. "Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)" (pdf). South Carolina Inventory Form for Historic Districts and Individual Properties in Multiple Property Submission. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  4. "Cowpens Furnace Site, Cherokee County (Address Restricted)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  5. Edgar, Walter, ed. (2006). The South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press. p. 485. ISBN 1-57003-598-9.
  6. "Early Ironworks of Northwestern South Carolina" (PDF).


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