Hope Furnace
Encyclopedia
The Hope Furnace is a historic blast furnace
in the southeastern part of the U.S. state
of Ohio
. Located along State Route 278
, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the village of Zaleski
, it is one of two extant iron furnaces in Vinton County
. Between 1854 and 1874, the furnace was used to smelt
iron ore, using coal
or charcoal
for fuel. It is a rectangular structure, built of sandstone and shaped like a truncated pyramid.
Like many other iron furnaces in southeastern Ohio, Hope Furnace was surrounded by a community of at least three hundred residents at its height. The production of iron and the supply of the materials required for iron smelting required a large number of workers, and during a furnace's years of operation, it was the center of a temporary community. No buildings from the community remain to the present day: when the furnace closed, the workers dispersed, and the buildings collapsed or were demolished. Although the buildings are gone, many artifacts still remain in the soil surrounding the furnace; most significant are the many pieces of slag
that litter the ground.
Today, Hope Furnace is part of Lake Hope State Park
. Because of its importance in local history, the furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973. It was the second place in Vinton County to be added to the Register, being preceded only by the Ponn Humpback Covered Bridge.
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
in the southeastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Located along State Route 278
Ohio State Route 278
State Route 278 is a north–south state highway located in tne southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The southern terminus of State Route 278 is at U.S. Route 50 approximately east of McArthur...
, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the village of Zaleski
Zaleski, Ohio
Zaleski is a village in Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 375 at the 2000 census; it is estimated to have risen to 399 by 2009.-History:Six Native American mounds, built by the prehistoric Adena culture, were once located at Zaleski...
, it is one of two extant iron furnaces in Vinton County
Vinton County, Ohio
Vinton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,435. , the least populous in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century United States Congressman from...
. Between 1854 and 1874, the furnace was used to smelt
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
iron ore, using coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
or charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
for fuel. It is a rectangular structure, built of sandstone and shaped like a truncated pyramid.
Like many other iron furnaces in southeastern Ohio, Hope Furnace was surrounded by a community of at least three hundred residents at its height. The production of iron and the supply of the materials required for iron smelting required a large number of workers, and during a furnace's years of operation, it was the center of a temporary community. No buildings from the community remain to the present day: when the furnace closed, the workers dispersed, and the buildings collapsed or were demolished. Although the buildings are gone, many artifacts still remain in the soil surrounding the furnace; most significant are the many pieces of slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
that litter the ground.
Today, Hope Furnace is part of Lake Hope State Park
Lake Hope State Park
Lake Hope State Park is a state park located in Vinton County, Ohio, United States. It is entirely surrounded by the Zaleski State Forest. The park is centered around Lake Hope, a lake on Big Sandy Run....
. Because of its importance in local history, the furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. It was the second place in Vinton County to be added to the Register, being preceded only by the Ponn Humpback Covered Bridge.