You will be hiking on the edge of Indian Creek to the resting place
of one of many iron furnaces that resides in the hills and valleys
of southwestern Pa. Here is a brief history of St John's Furnace.
"St. John's - Is below the falls along Indian Creek
in Springfield Township. It was built between 1810 and 1815 by
Jackson and Gibson. It went out of blast in 1828. It is in poor
condition, about 15 feet of stone, with a portion of one corner
remaining and the rest of the stones fallen down. The wheel pit and
the millrace are visible, and slag is present."
Here is some more history--an excerpt from a Fayette County history
book (courtesy of
Angus Macgyver):
This furnace was located on Salt Lick Creek (now
Indian Creek), in the present township of Spring-field. It was
built in 1807 by Jackson & Gibson, the masonry-work being done
by James Taylor. In 1810 it was owned and operated by Trevor &
Slater. After-wards it became the property of Col. James Paull, and
still later was in the possession of Steele and Doughty, who were
the last to operate it. It was blown out and discontinued in
1828
Now that you know, go find this ancient precursor to the Industrial
Revolution. Like a lone sentinel, St John's Furnace stands as a
reminder of the trials and hardships faced by the brave men who fed
the ore into their Moloch by the stream. Parking is available. The
terrain isn't that tough but after a rain or maybe in mid summer it
might be a tad tough (hence the 4 stars). The cache is NEAR but not
hidden on the furnace. To get to the parking area, take PA-711
North through Connellsville to the waypoint listed below as Butter
Milk Hollow Rd. Make a right and continue down for about a mile
(just follow your GPSR at this point).