Vesuvius Furnace

Vesuvius Furnace, Elizabeth Twp., Lawrence County, Ohio
Built: 1833  
By: HURD, GOULD & OTHERS
Researched by Sharon M. Kouns 

They ran it in the name of Brooks, Boyd & Dempsey for five years.  Then S. W. Dempsey, T. A. Dempsey, and Jos. Gilliland rented it for five years; the firm name Dempsey, Gilliland & Co., and then in 1868, rented it to C. W. Amos, G. N. Gray, T. A. Dempsey, L. Amos, and Oliver Lyon, firm name Gray, Amos & Co., who held it until sold to Aetna Iron Works Co., in 1872.

It was run as a hot blast from 1837 until 1868 and then changed to a cold blast.  Managers’ names, Jo. Smith, Wm. Patton, Jno. Rogers, Jos. Dempsey, Jno. Herrald, Wash Boyd, Jos. Gilliland, G. N. Gray, and C. W. Amos.  When putting up the warm blast, the scaffold at Vesuvius fell with Jos. Dempsey and killed him.

Ironton Register, July 30, 1885 – (Country Notes) – Graysville is about three-fourths of a mile below Vesuvius Furnace and was named for Col. G. N. Gray, of Ironton, who instituted some mining operations here and built the village. The place now has a forlorn appearance and doesn’t look as though it would perpetuate in perennial freshness the name of our worthy townsman.
Thos. Primm has a fine crop of corn growing on his farm below Vesuvius.

We met Jacob Sowder, Sr., the renowned debater, at Graysville. His honor was on a political rampage, and he told us he had the names of thirty-five republicans in a little book in his pocket who were going to vote for Ton Jones for Sheriff.

It struck us as curious that Jake should carry the republican vote of Elizabeth around in his pocket and rather think he can’t do it. We have strong faith in republican intelligence, and it takes a stunner to shake it. The voters of Elizabeth have had a change. They are satisfied. Jake, go home and trim your corns.

Vesuvius furnace is a dilapidated-looking place. The buildings are disappearing from around the stack; the pot house is gone; the bridge loft and engine house are in the last stages of decay. The four fine sycamores that grew beside the stack are thrifty.

These, with the old stack resting in their deep shade, will soon be all that remains of another of our old-time charcoal iron furnaces. Those whose boyhood days were spent among the picturesque scenery of the grand old cliffs that will ever add a wild sublimity to the place drop a tear for old Vesuvius and heave a sigh. She is passing away.

Ironton Register, November 26, 1885 – (Iron News) The Etna Iron Works Co. will run Vesuvius next year. This is because of its nearness to a splendid timber supply. A large part of the outfit of Little Etna will be moved to Vesuvius. There is scarcely anything left of Vesuvius except the stack, but the saving in the hauling of the fuel will more than balance the cost of removal.

Ironton Register, April 21, 1887 – Vesuvius is a gem of a furnace. She is substantially but economically equipped, and apparently, the general arrangement of the plant is very excellent. The furnace has an elevator similar to those used at coke furnaces to raise the ore from one floor and the fuel from another. the ore is burned in two ovens in quantities sufficient for immediate use.

The boilers are on top of the stack, where the furnace’s heat can fire them. The engine is an old timer– a horizontal affair with a steam cylinder, two blowing cylinders, and three pitmen covers most of the floor of the engine room, but it does splendid work. Vesuvius makes about 10 tons of cold blast iron daily on all gray ore, but on a test run on half red ore a few days since, the output reached 12 tons per day.

What a commodious yard Vesuvius has, and what a fine location for a furnace! She stands in the middle of a gentle slope that rises gradually from the bed of Storms Creek to the base of a high rocky cliff several hundred yards away.

The cliff is abrupt and imposing and overshadows what is seemingly a great pile of charcoal. However, it is only enough to run the furnace for three or four weeks when the furnace will stop for a few weeks, and the next year’s stock will begin to fill up the spacious yard beneath the cliff again.

The rocks that hover over the charcoal are not the only rocks around Vesuvius. The surrounding hills are fringed by them and viewed by the shade of the office entrance that morning, by the light of the bright sun, the lofty hilltops showing one above the other at several points, the wooded and rocky slopes, and the well-watered valley was a picture of nature of no ordinary beauty.

At various places on the Etna lands, railroad stakes are encountered. They mark the lines surveyed by the Dayton & Ironton people in quest of a suitable route from Texas Hollow to Ironton, and several routes have been surveyed.

Over on Cannon’s Creek, almost the opposite corner from Vesuvius of the Etna domain, they have the largest ore kiln burning they have ever set up. It contains 8,000 tons of ore, which will be shipped to Alice.

Ironton Register, September 30, 1897 – Vesuvius Furnace – Here find the furnace in full blast, making 8 tons of the best iron in the world a day; will run till January; have 5000 tons of ore on the bank, 40,000 bushels of charcoal in stock and will keep coming in till last of December; have 1300 tons of pig iron on the yard; had a large corn crop, had 75 tons hay; will sow considerable wheat. Dolph Casey is doing the blacksmithing; he said he worked in that same shop 40 years ago but has been away several times and has not been here for two years since the last time.

He is said to be as good a furnace smith as ever was here. Thos. Primm, another old resident, still farms; he has good corn, has 18 stands of bees that have done well. Geo. Whitlach, who has worked at the different furnaces, works in the pot house. Vesuvius and Olive are the only charcoal furnaces left to show how to make the best pig iron in the world.

Ironton Register, September 30, 1897 – Vesuvius Furnace -(Heading On the Rounds) – Here find the furnace in full blast, making 8 tons of the best iron in the world a day; it will run till January; have 5000 tons of ore on the bank, 40,000 bushels of charcoal in stock and will keep coming in till last of December; have 1300 tons of pig iron on the yard; had a large corn crop, had 75 tons of hay; will now sow considerable wheat.

Dolph Casey is doing the blacksmithing; he said he worked in that same shop 40 years ago but has been away several times and has not been here for two years since the last time. He is said to be as good a furnace smith as ever was here. Thos. Primm, another old resident, still farms; he has good corn, has 18 stands of bees that have done well. Geo. Whitlach, who has worked at the different furnaces, works in the pot house. Vesuvius and Olive are the only charcoal furnaces left to show how to make the best pig iron in the world.

Ironton Register, October 5, 1899 – WILL LEASE VESUVIUS – David Halley, J. O. Yates, and Isaac Yates have closed an agreement with the Ironton Coal & Iron Co. for the lease of Vesuvius Furnace and expect to take charge about November 1st, or as soon as the present management works up the stock on hand. The furnace will be operated as the Vesuvius Charcoal Iron Co., and an organization will be effected as soon as the papers are received from Philadelphia. These are expected at any time.

Ironton Register August 25, 1904, by Thos. A. Walton – Vesuvius Furnace was built in 1833 by Samuel Gould, Jno. Hurd and Jos. Smith.  The firm name was Gould, Hurd & Co.  They about 1839, sold it to Wm. McLund and Mr. Wade were run under the name of McLung, Wade & Co.

In about 1848, they sold to Jno. Ellison, Jos. Dempsey and Jas. Rodgers.  The firm’s name was Dempsey & Co.  About 1858 Jno. Ellison rented it to Calvin Brooks, Washington Boyd, and Thos. Allen Dempsey.  They ran it in the name of Brooks, Boyd & Dempsey for five years.

Then S. W. Dempsey, T. A. Dempsey, and Jos. Gilliland rented it for five years; firm name Dempsey, Gilliland & Co., and in 1868 rented it to C. W. Amos, G. N. Gray, T. A. Dempsey, L. Amos, and Oliver Lyon; firm name Gray, Amos & Co., whose held it until sold to Aetna Iron Works Co., in 1872.

It was run as a hot blast from 1837 until 1868 and then changed to a cold blast.  Manager’s name is Jo. Smith, Wm. Patton, Jno. Rogers, Jos. Dempsey, Jno. Herald, Wash Boyd, Jos. Gilliland, G. N. Gray, and C. W. Amos.  When putting up the warm blast, the scaffold at Vesuvius fell with Jos. Dempsey and killed him.