Gerard Furnace & Iron Made In Kentucky
Posted by: 
snfromky
N 36° 31.464 W 088° 07.128
16S E 399835 N 4042696
A roadside marker commemorating the iron industry in Kentucky.
Waymark Code: WM74HX
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 08/31/2009
Views: 13
Built 21/4 miles east in 1854 by Browder, Kennedy and Co. Inside it was 24 ft. high and 101/2 ft. across at widest point, burning locally made charcoal fuel. Its air blast machinery was powered by steam. In 34 weeks of 1857, it produced 1,595 tons of pig iron, mostly shipped by steamboats on Tennessee River. Did not operate after 1858. See the other side.
(Reverse) Iron Made in Kentucky - A major producer since 1791, Ky. ranked 3rd in US in 1830s, 11th in 1965. Charcoal timber, native ore, limestone supplied material for numerous furnaces making pig iron, utensils, munitions in the Hanging Rock, Red River, Between Rivers, Rolling Fork, Green River Regions. Charcoal-furnace era ended in 1880s with depletion of ore and timber and use of modern methods. Over.
Marker Name: Gerard Furnace & Iron Made In Kentucky
Marker Location: Roadside
Type of Marker: Other
Marker Number (for official markers): 1373
Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker:
Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Department of Highways
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Visit Instructions:
A picture of the site or anything specific to the text on marker.