Cedar Grove Iron Furnace is a disused 19th century double-stack iron ore furnace located in
Perry County, Tennessee
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,366, with an average population density of 18.6 persons per square mile (7.2 persons per square km) it is the least densely populate ...
. Sources differ on its construction date, but it was probably built between 1832 and 1834 near the mouth of Cedar Creek on the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
by William Dixon.
The furnace was one of the earliest steam-powered industrial sites in the region, a fact especially notable considering its isolation from any major population center. It utilized
hot blast Scottish smelting techniques that had only recently been developed, and was able to produce over 1,400 tons of
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...
annually.
The furnace operated operated until February, 1862 when it was it was shelled by Union gunboats
USS Conestoga
Three ships of the United States Navy have been named ''Conestoga'' after the Conestoga wagon, a broad wheeled, covered, wagon first built in Conestoga, Pennsylvania.
* , a side-wheeled steamer, was purchased in June 1861. She served on the Miss ...
,
USS Tyler
USS ''Tyler'' was originally a merchant ship named ''A. O. Tyler'', a commercial side-wheel steamboat with twin stacks and covered paddles positioned aft. Constructed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857, it was acquired by the United States Navy, 5 J ...
, and
USS Lexington.
Cedar Grove Iron Furnace is the only remaining double-stack charcoal furnace in Tennessee. It is constructed of local hand-carved limestone, stands 30 feet all, and measures 31 feet by 52 feet at the base. Most of the iron ore processed by the furnace was mined nearby in the area of Marsh Creek and was transported by mule-drawn carts for processing at the furnace. Smelted pig-iron would then be loaded onto river boats at the nearby landing on the Tennessee River.
Production at the site ended around 1862.
References
National Register of Historic Places in Perry County, Tennessee
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