I have quite a library of photographs of little- known or seldom- visited places in Georgia. For those who think of the pre-Civil War South as a land of cotton, devoid of industry, take note. Iron ore was mined and smelted at several sites in North Georgia prior to (and during) the Civil War. Several were located along the Etowah River Valley. The furnace pictured is in the Stamp Creek Wildlife management area not far from the intersection of Ga 108 and Ga 20, west of Canton and south of the small town of Waleska. Reinhardt University in Waleska has a remarkable museum, devoted primarily to Native American history, but also housing one of the great tool museums in North America, known as the Sellers Collection. Some interpretation of local iron making is offered and literally thousands of iron tools from hundreds of trades and occupations can be seen.
This particular furnace may never have been fired, but such furnaces required cutting down about ten acres of trees for a single firing, stacking the timber trunks into upright stands, slowly burning off the impurities from the wood to produce charcoal, then stoking the furnace with charcoal, crushed iron ore (hence the name Stamp Creek for the ore- crushing process that required water power). and crushed ore of limestone. The melted iron ran out of the air vents (clearly visible in this photo) and were directed into connected molds propelled by simple gravity. The result was branch-and- leaf like connectors and “piglets” which when detached for shipment to iron mills were known as “pig iron.”
The invasion of Georgia by Sherman’s army in 1864 saw the destruction of most of these furnace sites which included wooden ramps built to offer access to deposit the ore mix into the top of the furnace. The iron producers moved on to Birmingham after the war. That site offered better access to coal, a cheaper fuel for the furnaces, once the coal was “cooked” to produce “coke.” Coal was produced north of this site at Racoon Mountain, and nearby Copper Hill was a copper- mining site. The coal mines in particular were worked by convicts leased from the state-a standard practice in many industries well into the twentieth century. Convict lease also provided labor in the newer iron facilities in Birmingham. Black prisoners predominated in this system suggesting that the practice served to perpetuate the recently abolished slave labor system.
While we often think of Cherokee removal in 1838 being propelled by the discovery of gold in North Georgia, far- sighted developers and investors also coveted the iron and stone resources of the region. This included the marble deposits along Long Swamp Creek just east of the town of Tate. Unlike the iron industry, the marble industry persists. Ironically, it is a source of local pride that the Lincoln Memorial, completed just after World War I, contains the enormous statue of the seated Lincoln by Danel Chester French carved of marble from the Tate Quarries. More on that in a later post.
Interesting post, Joe, and a great picture!
George