Star Furnace was built in 1848 by A. McCullough and Lampton Brothers. Its stone stack was 36 feet high, 11½ feet across inside at its widest point, and burned stone coal rather than charcoal. It was served by its own railroad spur. In 1866 it produced 2600 tons of iron and in 1871 produced 1958 tons, and its last blast was in 1874. Kentucky had been a major iron producer since 1781, ranking 3rd in the U.S. in 1838s 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 because of depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads.