Buena Vista Furnace, built by William Foster and Co. in 1847 two and one-quarter miles west and named for that year's Mexican War battle, was an important factor in the Hanging Rock iron industry until it was dismantled in 1876. In 1874 its production was 4113 tons. Its stone stack was 40 feet high with a maximum inner diameter of 10 feet and burned charcoal. Kentucky had been a major iron producer since 1791, ranking 3rd in the U.S. in the 1830s and 11th in 1965. Charcoal timber, native ore, and limestone supplied material for numerous furnaces that made pig iron, utensils, and munitions in the Hanging Rock, Red River, Between Rivers, Rolling Fork, and Green River regions. The old charcoal furnace era ended through depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads.