Catoctin Furnace

Catoctin Furnace

Catoctin Furnace was constructed in 1774 by four brothers Thomas, Baker, Roger and James Johnson to produce pig iron from locally mined hematite. In blast by 1776, the furnace provided ammunition (cannonballs) for the American Revolutionary War. Some sources state that it also provided cannon. The Johnson brothers owned the furnaces at the site at first collectively, and after 1793 singly, until 1811.

Isabella

Ultimately, three furnaces were built at the site, each named for the site. The first Catoctin Furnace was rebuilt a short distance away in 1787. The second, named Isabella was built in the 1850s by Jacob Kunkel (references give dates from 1853 to 1867). It still stands, within Cunningham Falls State Park.
The first two furnaces initially burned charcoal and the Catoctin forest provided the fuel for the furnace until 1873. Then, the furnaces were converted from charcoal fuel to coal. The third, which opened in 1873, burned coke (some sources say anthracite coal, though this would be more costly). The raw material for the production of charcoal was obtained from nearby forests. The furnace owned thousands of acres of forest, but still found it necessary to buy charcoal to meet its needs. The production of charcoal was a major enterprise employing over 300 woodcutters and consuming timber from 11,000 acres of company land during peak years. The entire complex closed in 1903 (attributed to rising costs and the too-late introduction of a rail link). The fuel for the furnace was initially charcoal and the Catoctin forest provided the fuel for the furnace until 1873. Then, the furnace was converted from charcoal fuel to coal
A charcoal iron furnace was a community of many skills. Some skills, such as woodcutting, were easily learned and relatively low paid. Other skills were more complex and represented knowledge passed on within the trade over many years. Among these skilled workers were the charcoal makers; miners who dug the iron ore and later, coal; founders who operated the furnace, and molders, who cast the hot iron into stoves, pots, firebacks, and other objects for sale. Most furnaces had a clerk who kept accounts and ran the store, and every furnace was headed by an iron master, whose financial, marketing, and managerial skills were needed to make the whole enterprise a business success.
In 1973, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. was formed by G. Eugene Anderson, Clement E. Gardiner, J. Franklin Mentzer, and Earl M. Shankle to “foster and promote the restoration of the Catoctin Furnace Historic District…and to maintain the same exclusively for educational and scientific purposes…to exhibit to coming generations our heritage of the past…” The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc., celebrates, studies, and preserves the rich history of this pre-revolutionary industrial village, including the architecture, cultural landscapes, lifeways, and foodways of the workers.

The furnace's remains are located in Cunningham Falls State Park. A walking-tour handout is available in the park's visitor center.  The walk is a simple 1/4-mile path that goes from the furnace site into Cunningham Falls State Park.  A foot bridge gets you over the busy Rte 5 traffic.  There are seven information tablets starting at Cunningham (#1) and ending at the furnace (#7) these tablets really provide no chronological information so the path can be started at either end.