Hope Furnace Ruins

At one time Ohio was one of the nation’s leading producers of iron known as the Hanging Rock Iron Region. The area was rich with the raw materials needed to manufacture charcoal iron. By the time the Civil War began Ohio had 69 iron blast furnaces producing more than 100,000 tons of iron a year. As time passed, iron ore was discovered farther west, and Ohio’s reputation as a major iron producer waned. The Hope Furnace shut down in 1874, after only 20 years of operation. Today, the Hope Furnace chimney and some of the foundation are all that remain of the structure. Near the chimney, pieces of slag, the cast-off residue from the smelting process may be found. These glass-like pieces have now become a part of the forest floor.