Virginia Furnace
Encyclopedia
Virginia Furnace, also known as Muddy Creek Furnace and Josephine Furnace, is a historic water powered blast furnace
and national historic district
located near Albright
, Preston County, West Virginia
. The district encompasses three contributing structures and one contributing site. The furnace was built in 1854, and was a "charcoal" iron furnace used to smelt iron. It is constructed of cut sandstone
, and forms a truncated pyramid measuring approximately 34 feet square in plan and rising about 30 feet. The district includes the nearby wheel pit, blast machinery, and salamander. The furnace remained in operation until the 1890s, and was the last "charcoal" iron furnace to cease operating in northern West Virginia. In 1933, the Virginia Furnace was acquired by the Kingswood Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who created a roadside park at the furnace site.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
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 national historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
located near Albright
Albright, West Virginia
Albright is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, United States, along the Cheat River. The population was 247 at the 2000 census.-History:Located near Albright is the Virginia Furnace, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999....
, Preston County, West Virginia
Preston County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,334 people, 11,544 households, and 8,357 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 13,444 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
. The district encompasses three contributing structures and one contributing site. The furnace was built in 1854, and was a "charcoal" iron furnace used to smelt iron. It is constructed of cut sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, and forms a truncated pyramid measuring approximately 34 feet square in plan and rising about 30 feet. The district includes the nearby wheel pit, blast machinery, and salamander. The furnace remained in operation until the 1890s, and was the last "charcoal" iron furnace to cease operating in northern West Virginia. In 1933, the Virginia Furnace was acquired by the Kingswood Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who created a roadside park at the furnace site.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.