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Histories &
Mysteries
Judy and John Tole
evrgreenl@earthlink.net
a few bags of briquettes from the grocery. Charcoal manufacture associated with the furnaces is a stray in itself that will be covered in a later article.
Massanutten Mountain was the focal point for iron making hereabouts, in large part due to its iron deposits. The George Washington National Forest covers much of this most remarkable double-ridged mountain. Powell’s Fort Valley runs between the two ridges from Waterlick to New Market Gap. In the 1800s, this was iron central.
Elizabeth Furnace
Near the northern end of Fort Valley are the remains of Elizabeth Furnace, a typical example of the early furnaces. Construction and operation were fairly simple: the furnace was a pyramid of stone about 30 feet square at the base and 25 to 40 feet high. Furnaces were erected against the side of a small hill so that , the ‘charge’ (iron ore, limestone, and charcoal) could be carried or wheeled from a stockpile and dumped into the stack at the top. A water wheel and bellows were typically located to one side of the furnace. The bellows periodically injected air into the furnace to maintain high temperatime nec
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