Antrim Iron Company
Encyclopedia
The Antrim Iron Company was an iron works that operated in Mancelona
, Michigan
from 1886 to 1945. The site of the iron works was south of Mancelona, between U.S. Route 131
and the railroad tracks.
built a station at the town. The furnace flourished, and in 1886 a group of businessmen from Grand Rapids bought out the company, and renamed the company Antrim Iron Works and the town Antrim. A large blast furnace
and iron works was built on the site, and the new company began doing business.
was hauled in from various lumber camps around Northern Michigan
to be harvested for iron products at the plant. After many years of buying material to create the iron with, the company decided to obtain its own timber, and built a small railroad branch (named the Mancelona North West Railroad) heading 2 miles west from the company site. With this spur line, the company logged its own lumber and hauled it in on its own railroad, proving to be quite self sufficient. This lasted until the 1920s, when the lumber ran out and other ways were developed to obtain the iron.
the company became extremely busy. With the vast need for materials for the war effort, the factory was working around the clock trying to produce enough products for the orders they were getting. This held true throughout most of the war.
Mancelona, Michigan
Mancelona is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,408 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Mancelona Township.-History:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from 1886 to 1945. The site of the iron works was south of Mancelona, between U.S. Route 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
and the railroad tracks.
History
In 1882, an organization by the name of "John Otis & Company" built a large charcoal furnace on the site. The company also platted a town around the furnace, naming it "Furnaceville". Soon after this, the Grand Rapids and Indiana RailroadGrand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA...
built a station at the town. The furnace flourished, and in 1886 a group of businessmen from Grand Rapids bought out the company, and renamed the company Antrim Iron Works and the town Antrim. A large blast furnace
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...
and iron works was built on the site, and the new company began doing business.
Methods of manufacturing and transportation
In the beginning of the corporation, timberTimber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
was hauled in from various lumber camps around Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
to be harvested for iron products at the plant. After many years of buying material to create the iron with, the company decided to obtain its own timber, and built a small railroad branch (named the Mancelona North West Railroad) heading 2 miles west from the company site. With this spur line, the company logged its own lumber and hauled it in on its own railroad, proving to be quite self sufficient. This lasted until the 1920s, when the lumber ran out and other ways were developed to obtain the iron.
The war
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the company became extremely busy. With the vast need for materials for the war effort, the factory was working around the clock trying to produce enough products for the orders they were getting. This held true throughout most of the war.