![]() It was in operation intermittently from about 1852-1912. Center FurnaceĬenter Furnace has disintegrated quite a bit more than the site of the Great Western Iron Furnace. The site of the furnace is located along The Trace, just south of The Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum. It is also thought that by the time of the furnace's operations, the commercial demand for pig iron had significantly decreased. Its short life has been blamed on its poor location, which made it difficult to transport natural resources in and finished products out. ![]() It is one of the best preserved of the iron furnaces in this region, mostly due to its brief years of operation from 1854-56. The Great Western Iron Furnace is located on the site where Model, TN, once stood. ![]() Those include The Great Western Iron Furnace, which is believed to have been built around 1854, and Center Furnace, established around 1852. Only two of the eight furnaces are visible to tourists today. Other furnaces simply deteriorated and in one case only a historic marker is left to designate the former spot where the Laura Furnace once stood. Two such furnaces include Mammoth Furnace and Fulton Furnace. After the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) established Lake Barkley, some of these old iron furnaces were immersed under the lake waters and as far as we know their remnants could still be found there today. The area that we now know as the Land Between the Lakes was once home to eight iron furnaces. These workers lived in communities built up around the furnace and produced a type of ore called "pig iron." The ore was easily shipped to factories using the region's rivers, which served as valuable and affordable shipping tools for the iron ore industry to transport their goods. In some cases, these furnaces were manned by as many as 200 workers, including African-American slaves prior to the Civil War. Using the natural resources available in the Between the Rivers woodlands, large furnaces were constructed by wealthy investors in the 1840s and 50s. It is said that the introduction of the iron ore industry to western Kentucky and middle Tennessee was the first place where the Industrial Revolution began to make its mark on the southern states. With the availability of iron ore found in natural resources such as hematite, as well as abundant deposits of limestone and timber, the lands Between the Rivers seemed ripe for this industry to thrive. The Industrial Revolution of the early to mid-1800s created a need for the production of iron. One 19th Century industry that had a short life span in the region, and yet left an indelible mark on the people who lived here, was iron ore production. It's fascinating to examine the cultural identities of the small communities that once thrived in a region called "Between the Rivers." It's also intriguing to learn about the industries that once fueled the economies of these small towns. If you've spent much time on this website, then you've already figured out that the lands which comprise the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area are flooded with historic artifacts and oddities that make it an intriguing destination for history lovers. Iron Furnaces The Industrial Revolution Makes Its Way to the South
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