Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Cumberland Furnace is an unincorporated
community in northern Dickson County, Tennessee
, United States
, largely immediately west of State Route 48. It was the site of a large 19th century iron
works, initiated by Nashville, Tennessee
founder James Robertson
and later operated by the "The Iron Master of Middle Tennessee", Montgomery Bell
, among others. The cannonballs used by Andrew Jackson
's troops in the Battle of New Orleans
were cast here. Prior to the American Civil War
, a considerable amount of slave
labor was used at the iron works, giving the area a population of African American
s disproportionate to that of the wider area. After the Civil War a Nashville newspaper recounted the story of a racially-based confrontation in 1868, during the Reconstruction period. The only operating school for blacks
in Dickson County was located here at this time.
The Reconstruction era at first brought considerable prosperity to the community. Northern investors, including former Union
army officers who had learned the area during the war, modernized the iron works; one of these was Anthony Vanleer (or Van Leer), for whom the nearby town of Vanleer, Tennessee
was named. Many blacks who had formerly been forced to work the site as slaves were now employed as free men. The iron industry was rich enough that one of the managers was wealthy enough to build the locally famous Drouillard Mansion, one of the era's largest and most luxurious home of the area, on a hilltop overlooking the village.
The iron industry operated sporadically following the Reconstruction era until finally being closed for good in 1923, unable to compete effectively on a steady basis with larger and more modern facilities located elsewhere, especially those in Birmingham, Alabama
, except during times of crisis and shortage such as World War I
. The building of a railroad spur into the town from Vanleer along the Mineral Branch of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
was insufficient to save the enterprise. Rail service ended altogether in 1938 and the tracks were eventually taken up although the rather ornate depot (which replaced an earlier, simpler one) still remains.
The Great Depression
led to economic conditions in the Upper South
even worse than those experienced by much of the U.S. as a whole; many residents left for nearby cities such as Nashville and Clarksville
while others migrated to Detroit, St. Louis, Cinncinniati, and other industrial centers "up North". Vigorous post- World War I
enforcement of "Jim Crow
" made conditions even worse for blacks, who also left the area in large numbers for the hope of better times in the North.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a growing interest was expressed by residents of the area in its history and efforts at historic preservation of the remains of the iron works and associated buildings began. In the 1990s a nonprofit group called "Historic Village of Cumberland Furnace" was put together to stimulate both interest in the area as a cultural resource and to develop it for purposes of tourism
. The Drouillard Mansion was restored and has become a therapeutic retreat center called Onsite. The historic preservation efforts suffered a setback when the historic Masonic
lodge hall burned in 2002, but other restoration and re-creation efforts are ongoing.
Cumberland Furnace is served by a U.S. Post Office
, ZIP Code
37051.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community in northern Dickson County, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, largely immediately west of State Route 48. It was the site of a large 19th century iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
works, initiated by Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
founder James Robertson
James Robertson (early American)
James Robertson was an explorer and pioneer active primarily in what is now the State of Tennessee during the second half of the 18th century. An early companion of explorer Daniel Boone, Robertson helped establish the Watauga Association in the early 1770s, and helped defend Fort Watauga from an...
and later operated by the "The Iron Master of Middle Tennessee", Montgomery Bell
Montgomery Bell
Montgomery Bell was a manufacturing entrepreneur who was crucial to the economic development of early Middle Tennessee...
, among others. The cannonballs used by Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
's troops in the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
were cast here. Prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, a considerable amount of slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
labor was used at the iron works, giving the area a population of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s disproportionate to that of the wider area. After the Civil War a Nashville newspaper recounted the story of a racially-based confrontation in 1868, during the Reconstruction period. The only operating school for blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
in Dickson County was located here at this time.
The Reconstruction era at first brought considerable prosperity to the community. Northern investors, including former Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
army officers who had learned the area during the war, modernized the iron works; one of these was Anthony Vanleer (or Van Leer), for whom the nearby town of Vanleer, Tennessee
Vanleer, Tennessee
Vanleer is a town in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 310 at the 2000 census. The town is named for Anthony Van Leer, onetime operator of the iron works in nearby Cumberland Furnace.-Geography:...
was named. Many blacks who had formerly been forced to work the site as slaves were now employed as free men. The iron industry was rich enough that one of the managers was wealthy enough to build the locally famous Drouillard Mansion, one of the era's largest and most luxurious home of the area, on a hilltop overlooking the village.
The iron industry operated sporadically following the Reconstruction era until finally being closed for good in 1923, unable to compete effectively on a steady basis with larger and more modern facilities located elsewhere, especially those in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, except during times of crisis and shortage such as World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The building of a railroad spur into the town from Vanleer along the Mineral Branch of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
was insufficient to save the enterprise. Rail service ended altogether in 1938 and the tracks were eventually taken up although the rather ornate depot (which replaced an earlier, simpler one) still remains.
The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
led to economic conditions in the Upper South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
even worse than those experienced by much of the U.S. as a whole; many residents left for nearby cities such as Nashville and Clarksville
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
while others migrated to Detroit, St. Louis, Cinncinniati, and other industrial centers "up North". Vigorous post- World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
enforcement of "Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
" made conditions even worse for blacks, who also left the area in large numbers for the hope of better times in the North.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a growing interest was expressed by residents of the area in its history and efforts at historic preservation of the remains of the iron works and associated buildings began. In the 1990s a nonprofit group called "Historic Village of Cumberland Furnace" was put together to stimulate both interest in the area as a cultural resource and to develop it for purposes of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. The Drouillard Mansion was restored and has become a therapeutic retreat center called Onsite. The historic preservation efforts suffered a setback when the historic Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
lodge hall burned in 2002, but other restoration and re-creation efforts are ongoing.
Cumberland Furnace is served by a U.S. Post Office
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
, ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
37051.