Martha Furnace - Huston Township, PA
N 40° 50.080 W 078° 00.361
17T E 752443 N 4524718
This iron ore furnace was in operation from 1830 - 1850. It was the central core of a small community which consisted of a store, blacksmith shop, lumber yard, post office, train station, cigar factory, and company houses. The iron ore produced here was hauled by horse and wagon to nearby Scotia and distant Pittsburgh.
Waymark Code: WM149E6
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/24/2021
Views: 7
The Curtin family abandoned Martha Furnace in 1848. Martha was not a profitable venture, as transporting the iron and ore back to the main forge at Curtin-Eagle was a heavy expense due to Martha Furnace being seventeen miles from Curtin Village. Resources and scarcity only became a challenge near the end of Centre and Curtin-Eagle’s lifespans.
Moses Thompson then ran it until it was shut down permanently in 1855.
The lack of profit had Martha Furnace’s owners and community moving away, both physically and socially.
Martha Furnace was only in business for twenty-five. Martha never had a flourishing and bolstered community like Centre Furnace and was the second furnace erected by Roland Curtin, the pioneer behind Curtin-Eagle Ironworks. It has not received a place within the National Register of Historic Places.
Presently, Martha lies in ruin as a pile of rock and slag, overrun by weeds and moss. Its coinciding mansion, once a site for weddings and scenic tours, is now up for sale.
(from listed website)
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