Center Furnace in Operation (AI Rendering).
Center Furnace was built in 1836 producing approximately 16 tons of iron daily with a stack that was 40 feet high. It was located near the Iron Railroad in the Hanging Rock Iron Region. It is associated with the Center Furnace-Superior Cemetery. The furnace was ordered to be sold by the court on September 26, 1867 and was sold to William D Kelly in 1868. The property changed hands a few times over the years and was eventually bought by Mrs. Lindsey Kelly in June 1898. Later, on August 17, 1899, Kelly leased the property to a group of investors that resumed operations of the furnace until 1906.
This furnace had a woman for its Iron Master during its last operations. Mrs. Nanny Kelly Wright was probably the only woman Iron Master in the U.S. and possibly the world. Many of her things are in the Lawrence County Historical Museum in Ironton.
| Year Built | 1836 |
| Blew Out | About 1906 |
| Built By | William Carpenter and Others |
| Daily Tonnage | 16 |
| Location | Elizabeth Township, off route 93 and on county road 41. |
| Remains | None known. |