Tannehill Ironworks -- Tannehill Ironworks State Park, McCalla AL - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Two signs erected by the Civil War Preservation Trust share the Civil War history of this important Confederate iron forge that sourced munitions, artillery, and naval plate for the Confederacy before it was destroyed by Union Forces on 31 Mar 1865.

Those signs read as follows:

"CIVIL WAR SITE 1861-1865

As the border states began to fall, Alabama iron became critical to the survival of the Confederacy. During the last two years of the war, Alabama’s furnaces were producing 70% of the entire southern iron supply.

That output invited federal invasion in the largest cavalry operation of the war. Known as Wilson’s Raid, a federal force of over 14,000 laid waste to Tannehill and a dozen other Alabama furnaces including the Selma Arsenal as the war came to an end.

The Tannehill Ironworks was attacked by three companies of the 8th Iowa Cavalry under the command of Capt. William A. Sutherland on March 31, 1865. Before leaving, they torched all the adjacent factory buildings, slave cabins, a large gristmill and tannery and a storehouse for food and supplies. In the fire, Tannehill’s workforce of over 500 slaves and white mechanics was scattered and displaced. A mile downstream on Roupes Creek, the Williams & Owen Forge escaped detection.

Sutherland re-joined Brig. Gen. John T. Croxton’s main force of 15,000 cavalrymen which proceeded on to burn the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. En route on April 1, Croxton’s cavalry engaged CS troops commanded by Brig. Gen. William H. (Red) Jackson in the battle of Trion (now called Vance).

While iron production ended at Tannehill in 1865, its main financier, John Alexander, continued to operate the cupola furnace producing products from iron scrap before the site was sold to the Thomas iron interests of Pennsylvania, a parent company of Republic Steel Corp., in 1868.

Listed as a Designated site on the Civil War Preservation Trust’s National Discovery Trail.

Erected by Civil War Preservation Trust."

and

"TANNEHILL IRONWORKS

This important battery of charcoal blast furnaces ranked among the most productive in Alabama during the Civil War. The only 3 furnace ironworks in the state during the war years, it was capable of producing 22 tons of pig iron a day for the Selma Arsenal and Gun Works.

Equipped with hot blast stoves and steam power to increase production, the Roupes Valley furnaces were among the most modern of their day. Experiments with red iron ore opened the door to iron manufacturer in Birmingham.

A foundry and tan yard were also located here which made iron and leather products for the Confederate Army including kettles, ovens, hollow wear, harness and canteens.

Furnace number one was built by noted southern iron master Moses Stroup in 1859. William L Sanders completed work on furnaces 2 and 3 which went into blast in 1862-63 with financial assistance from the Confederate government.

This is also the site of one of Alabama's first bloomer he forges erected in 1830 by Daniel Hillman. It made horseshoes, plows, and other agricultural products. The location is considered the birthplace of the Birmingham iron and steel district.

No other place in Alabama they'd iron for as long as did these works prior to the Civil War.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior."

Type of site: Factory Address: Tannehill Ironworks State Park McCalla, AL Admission Charged: More than $5 Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: 12632 Confederate Parkway McCalla, AL 35111, USA Easily accessible from I-20 via Tannehill Park Road. Take the turn off to Confederate Parkway which will bring you to the park. Phone Number: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/26/2017 Benchmark Blasterz visited it