AI rendering of a drawing of Union Furnace by Henry Howe in 1846.
Union Furnace was the first iron furnace built in Lawrence county. It was of a primitive design that could only produce one ton daily. It was built in 1826 on a creek called Indian Run. The creek was named that because a large number of trees along that creek had been marked by the Indians. The workers were soon able to get production up to two and a half tons daily, but the furnace became unprofitable and went into receivership in 1884.
The following was a first hand conversation with Mr. William Louderback in 1892 when he was 81. He worked at Union Furnace as well as others. This was taken in part from the Ironton Register, November 10, 1892..
"My father was Peter Louderback who moved from Pennsylvania at an early day and settled in Scioto county about three miles from where Sciotoville now stands. I was born April 11, 1811. When I was four years old, I was placed with Jesse Wolf who lived in Lawrence county about three miles from where Center furnace stands. Wolf was a prosperous pioneer. In addition to his farm, he ran a small still and made enough runs each year to supply the neighborhood. He brewed some beer also. During the hunting season, he would kill many deer and would sometimes have from 60 to 70 deer skins to sell in the spring. When I was about 13 years old, I went to live with Joshua Horner at Kelley’s Mills on Pine Creek. While living there, Union furnace was built. It was the first iron furnace in Lawrence County. They began building it when I was 14 years old. It was only about a mile and a half from where I lived and I hauled charcoal to it when it began running. Charcoal was then hauled in 150 bushel wagon beds. The wagons were pulled by oxen as there were no mules in the country back then.James Rogers, who was the manager of the furnace, was the first man who counted five pecks of charcoal, a bushel. The furnace was on a primitive order. It made only about three tons a day. The output on Sunday was run into pigs, but the output during the week was made into hollow-ware, stoves, and other cast items. The molten metal was ladled out from the hearth and poured into the various molds. A man was employed to skim the metal in the hearth and I have done the work many a time. I used to skim the molten metal from the hearth and pour it into the molds.
I have worked at Franklin, Junior, Buckhorn, Olive, Vernon and other furnaces and came to Jackson from Buckhorn. When I was at Olive I enlisted in the 4th Ohio Cavalry and served seven months. My son Jacob served in the war also. "
| Year Built | 1826 |
| Began Operation | 1827 |
| Built By | John Means Thomas Means James Rodgers John Sparks Valentine Fear |
| Daily Tonnage | 1 initially, then up to 2.5 |
| Location | Southwest corner of Elizabeth Township. Close to T 128. |
| Remains | One drawing of the furnace done in 1846. Some fragments. |