Iron Ore in Our Area

In the mid to late 1800s, it was thought that the Kanawha Valley was rich in Iron Ore.  Several furnaces were started,  including near the mouth of Magazine Hollow,  near the mouth of Davis Creek, and around the Fort Hill area just to name a few.  Bigley Ave is named for J. Bigley, who came here to mine iron ore from Magazine Hollow.  Most of the companies disbanded before going into full production,  while a couple tried and failed.  The reason was that they discovered that ore here was not of the best quality and the cost of smelting it was too expensive.  Better ores were discovered in other states like Ohio for instance.  There is one place where the remnants of an iron ore facility still stands.  It's near the Northbound exit ramp of Corridor G, not far from the Southside Expressway.

What you are looking at are the remnants of 19th-century iron ore roasting ovens or a localized test furnace.     What they did: Before iron ore could be shipped or smelted, it often had to be "roasted" in open stone ovens to burn off sulfur, moisture, and impurities. The hillsides of Ferry Branch contained a 10-foot-thick layer of clay deeply stained with wavy red bands of iron ore (iron oxide).     The Civil War Connection: During the Civil War, the Union Army established a massive camp right at the mouth of Ferry Branch and built Fort Scammon directly at the top of that exact hill (Fort Hill) to protect the valley. The military heavily utilized the local stone, existing clearings, and early primitive iron forges in the area.  After the Civil War, the area was heavily repurposed. In 1900, the Vulcan Iron Works of Charleston was organized nearby to do heavy machine, forge, and foundry repair work. The old ovens were simply left to crumble into the hillside as the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railroad cut tracks right through the base of the hill.

HERE ARE THE FERRY BRANCH IRON ORE OVENS.

This shows how close to the Corridor G ramp in Charleston the ovens are located.

*The mouth of Davis Creek was known as Spring Hill back in the day.

*The first article above was written some years before a second try was made at that location.

* The second article is the Ferry Branch site.

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