Following our visit to the Moonville Tunnel, we did a quick search for other sites of interest in Vinton County. We quickly happened upon two sites, both historic blast furnaces: the Hope Furnace and the Vinton Furnace.
While we agreed that the Vinton Furnace looked more interesting, we were quickly put off by the 5.6 mile round trip hike. Our pup Pumpkin had already burned quite a bit of energy at the Moonville Tunnel and we were unsure if he was up for the walk. Hope Furnace, on the other hand, is visible from the parking lot.
Hope Furnace
The furnace, a truncated pyramid built of sandstone, is to the right of the parking lot and up a small hill. Picnic tables and primitive restrooms are available on site. The Hope Furnace trail head is visible at the back of the property. It is a 5.7 mile loop trail and signage is available at the trail head.
Hope Furnace History
The Hope Furnace is part of the Hanging Rock Iron Region, which was once one of the largest iron-producers in the country. By the start of the Civil War there were 69 blast furnaces in the area. The region stretched from Logan, Ohio through Northern Kentucky.
Built in 1854, the Hope Furnace acquired iron ore from the nearby mines in Moonville. Trees were cut from the nearby hills and subsequently burned under a layer of earth to create charcoal for the furnace.
According to information at the site, charcoal and iron ore were loaded through the top of the furnace. After the charcoal was lit, air was forced in through the openings at the base into large sand pits. From there the hot liquid iron was molded into shapes known as “pigs.”
This pig iron was then shipped to foundries in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and along the eastern seaboard for further processing. The Hanging Rock region produced about 3000 tons of pig iron annually.
Iron produced in the Hanging Rock region was in demand as railroads stretched across the United States. Then as the Civil War raged, the furnaces were pressed into use to supply the Union army with provisions. Iron was used primarily in canons and military equipment toward the war effort. Iron produced in the region was also used in the production of the USS Monitor, a steam-powered, iron-clad ship used by the Union Army.
Life in Hope
The nearby town of Zaleski was at the time a bustling village of 1500. It included all the basic amenities of small town life including general stores, saloons, doctors, churches, and a mill. Most of the furnace workers, however, lived in the nearby village of Hope.
Hope was a smaller town with a population of about 500, mostly miners and their families. The company housed employees in company owned properties which were mostly small log cabins with dirt floors. Their pay was made in script that was only of value in the company owned store. Goods at the store were generally overpriced.
The End of Hope Furnace
After the Civil War modern furnaces were built elsewhere and the furnaces in the Hanging Rock region were unable to compete. The Hope Furnace closed forever in 1874 and the fire of the final furnace in the region was extinguished in 1916. Like the furnaces, the lights of the towns they supported were soon dimmed as well. And while nearby Zaleski (current population 271) remains, with the closing of the furnace the small town of Hope was abandoned.
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