Buena Vista Furnace Historic Site - Indiana County, Pennsylvania
N 40° 28.861 W 079° 02.786
17T E 665584 N 4482979
The Buena Vista Furnace Historical site is only accessible via bike or foot travel 3.0 miles from either the Dilltown or Heshbon Access Areas of the Ghost Town Trail in Brush Valley Township in Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Waymark Code: WMF7G8
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/05/2012
Views: 5
uilt in 1847 by Henry McClelland, Elias McClelland, and Stephen A. Johnston, Buena Vista was named for the Mexican War battle fought in February 1847.
The thirty-foot high furnace used local iron ore, limestone and charcoal to produce approximately 400 tons of pig iron per year. Approximately 61 men and boys, and 30 horses and mules labored at Buena Vista. The ‘pig iron’ was hauled by wagon to the Pennsylvania Canal at Ninevah near Johnstown.
The furnace property was sold at Sheriff’s Sale in 1850 to Dr. Alexander Johnston, production continued until 1856. In 1854 the furnace produced 560 tons of iron out of shell and bog ore. In 1900, Stephen Johnston sold a 67-acre parcel that included the Buena Vista Furnace to Judge A.V. Barker for $20,000. Barker sold it and other properties to the Lackawanna Coal and Coke Company in 1902. In 1917, the property passed to the Vinton Colliery Company.
In 1957, the Delano Coal Company sold the furnace and property to the Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County. Since then repairs were curtailed due to a lack of access and additional damage caused by the Flood of 1977. The opening the Ghost Town Trail extension in 2006 renewed efforts to save the site and make it accessible to the public. The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County leases the site to Indiana County Parks & Trails.
Facilities:
There are currently no facilities at the site, but visitors are permitted to view the furnace remains. Over the next few years efforts will be made to secure funding to provide improvements at the site.
In the interest of visitor safety and future preservation of the furnace please do not to climb on the furnace structure. The western facade of the furnace has collapsed and is not structurally secure.
Name: Buena Vista Furnace Historical Site
Street Location: Ghost Town Trail - 10485 Route 259 Hwy., Blairsville, PA 15717
Local Municipality: Operated by: Indiana County Parks & Trails
State/Province, etc.: Pennsylvania
Country: United States
Web Site: [Web Link]
Memorial/Commemoration: Buena Vista Furnace
Date Established: 1957
Picnic Facilities: Benches Only
Recreational Facilities:
Historic Site
Monuments/Statues: Buena Vista Furnace
Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Blacklick Creek
Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Not listed
Fountains: Not listed
Special Events: Not listed
Traditional Geocaches: Not listed
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