Bear Spring Furnace Stewart County 1830-1901
The Western Highland Rim hosted a large number of furnaces within its geographic area. Iron production in this region began in the 1790s and at one time, Stewart County was the home of 14 iron furnaces.
Joseph and Robert Woods and Thomas Yeatman built the first charcoal cold-blast furnace here in Bear Springs in 1830. It used brown hematite ore from local deposits. When pure this iron ore yields nearly 60 percent iron, other ingredients being oxygen and water. There are three classes of iron products obtainable from iron ore: cast or pig iron, which is the immediate product of the furnace, hard and readily broken; wrought or soft iron; and steel. The furnaces of the region were used in the indirect method of smelting. (Smelting is a two-step process involving the blast furnace to produce pig iron and then a refinery forge to convert it to wrought iron.)The furnace never produced any other than the pig iron, which for the most part was sold and shipped to foundries, mills, and pipe works.
Tennessee's large capacity for iron production made the state of strategic importance to both the North and the South. The South needed Tennessee's manufacturing capabilities to produce weapons of war for its cause. Knowing this, the North made the capture and destruction of key iron production facilities a part of its strategy. Thus, iron furnaces, forges, and works were the sites of several engagements between the Union and Confederate armies.
The original Bear Springs furnace was destroyed by Union forces in 1862. The present stack was built in 1873. Operations here were discontinued in 1901. Today, iron mining is concentrated in the rich ore fields closer to the manufacturing areas of Birmingham, Pennsylvania, and the Great Lakes, where the proximity of furnace and ore cuts down on transportation costs.
Iron production started when the iron-producing potential was realized with the discovery of iron ore, limestone, and timber in this area. Those three elements are what are needed in the "smelting" process. Iron furnaces were massive, pyramid-like structures made of stone with a pit in the middle. To feed the fire, workers use charcoal made from the abundant timber in the area. To process the timber into charcoal, the wood was first chopped into approximately four foot pieces. A large tract of ground was leveled off and cords of wood were stacked on end and sealed with dirt and leaves. A small opening was left at the bottom where a fire was started with kindling. Burning slowly, it took from ten to fifteen days for the wood to char properly. The charcoal was then delivered to the furnace. The iron ore deposits were located on or near the crests of the ridges.
Mining operations were comparatively simple, owing to the shallow nature of these deposits. The ground was loosened by picking and blasting. The ore was loaded into tram cars by men with shovels. From the pits, the ore and dirt was hauled to the washer. Here the ore was separated from the dirt, sand, and gravel. All ore put into the blast furnace had to be as free from dirt and debris as possible. The ore was then ready for the furnace.
To start the furnace, it was first partly filled with wood, the ore placed on top, and allowed to burn for approximately 12 hours.. A combination of iron ore, limestone and charcoal formed what was called "charge" and would make pig iron. After the first charge was added to the furnace, the steam blowing engine was started. The blast from the blowing engine produced enough heat to melt the ore. The temperature sometimes ran as high as 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. As the ore melted, the iron, which settling to the bottom of the furnace as a liquid mass was drawn off through the iron notch at the bottom. The iron notch was opened every six hours to allow the melted iron ore to run off into small gutters or channels made in the sand. These channels formed squares called a "pig bed." Running the iron from the furnace into a pig bed was called a cast. Each pig bed held about two tons of iron. After a pig bed was filled, the iron was cooled with water. Tow men with hammers broke the iron into pieces about 18 inches long and the finished iron was loaded into railroad cars or wagon and taken to the nearest shipping point.
To log This EarthCache: Please email me the answers to the following questions: How was the ore transported to the Tennessee Ridge? Where was the route located? Please feel free to log pictures and please note the number in your group that visited.
