Ardis Furnace
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The Ardis Furnace is an abandoned experimental blast furnace located at the northeast corner of Aragon and Antoine Streets (accessible from US-2) in
Iron Mountain, Michigan Iron Mountain is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,518 at the 2020 census, down from 7,624 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dickinson County, in the state's Upper Peninsula. Iron Mountain was named for the va ...
, United States. The Ardis Furnace was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and placed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1972.


Description

The furnace as originally built was a huge metal tube, long and in diameter, lined with firebrick and installed at a slight incline. The tube was held in place by a series of concrete supports of graduated height. The tube was rotated with an electric motor, and refined iron was collected at the lower end of the tube. However, after the project was abandoned the furnace fell into disrepair, and only the ruins of the concrete supports remain.


History

In 1908, Iron Mountain resident John T. Jones built this experimental blast furnace to test the Step Furnace Process he developed to extract iron from low-grade ore. Jones named it the "Ardis Furnace" after his daughter. The furnace was intended to produce a "more nearly pure pig iron from the ore than is obtainable by the usual smelting process as practiced" with less fuel usage, and was described in Jones's 1908 patent, number 890,234, "Method for treating iron ore." The Ardis Furnace was initially a huge success, and Jones turned down multiple million-dollar offers for his patent. Additional furnaces were built in
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, and
Republic, Michigan Republic is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes and no legal status as an incorporated ...
, with the belief that the on-site refining of ore would save tremendously in shipping costs. However, after some time, problems began to surface. The firebrick lining the iron tube was unable to withstand the heat of the reaction. Jones brought in consulting engineers, and some improvements were made, but the fundamental heat problem remained unsolved. Jones poured more money into the project, but within two years had exhausted his personal fortune, losing everything, including his house. The furnace was dismantled and sold for scrap, and the project abandoned. Jones moved on to other mining projects as a consultant. Although the Ardis Furnace was unsuccessful, elements of the technology were incorporated into later operations which successfully extracted iron from low-grade ore. In the early 1970s, plans were made to demolish the remains of the Ardis Furnace. However, the local Menominee Range Historical Foundation petitioned to save the structure, and the Hanna Mining Company bought it and presented it to the Foundation. The Ardis Furnace was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1972.


John T. Jones

John Tyler Jones was born on September 14, 1847, in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, the son of Welsh Immigrant Thomas J. Jones and his wife Margaret Williams. At the age of 13, Jones began working with his father, and was soon a skilled mechanic and engine operator. In 1870, he moved to
Sharon, Pennsylvania Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest ...
, and set up the Keel Ridge Furnace, and ran the operation for the next ten years. Through this time, iron was becoming increasingly scarce and the quality of the ore lower. Jones experimented with several techniques, teaching himself chemistry along the way. In 1870, Jones married Rachel Ann Milligan of Pittsburgh; the couple had nine children: Albert Graham, Elmer Williams, Carie Belle, Rachel Ann, Ruth, Arthur John, Harry, Margaret, and Leah Ardis. In 1881, Jones moved to
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's
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
and assumed management of mines there for the Kimberly Company. In 1883, he moved to Iron Mountain. He later started the Hamilton mine, prospected in
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, and worked in other mines around the country. His various endeavors made Jones wealthy. He built an impressive home on a 140-acre estate on the shore of Iron Mountain's Lake Antoine, "furnished with all modern improvements and conveniences." Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the home was the large attached greenhouse, constructed from the
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made for the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.From written material posted at the Ardis Furnace site by the Menominee Range Historical Foundation. After losing his fortune in the Ardis Furnace experiment, Jones moved in with his son and worked as a mining consultant. Jones died in 1928 while visiting his sister in Pennsylvania.


References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Dickinson County, Michigan Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Dickinson County, Michigan