Racoon Furnace, built in 1833 by D. Trimble and J.T. Withrow six miles south, was originally 35 feet high with a maximum inner diameter of 10½ feet. In 1873 it produced 1467 tons of iron. It owned about 10,000 acres of land, mined its own ore and limestone, and made its own charcoal, and it was not operated after 1884. 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 numerous furnaces in the Hanging Rock, Red River, Between Rivers, Rolling Fork, and Green River regions, where pig iron, utensils, and munitions were made. The old charcoal furnace era ended with depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads.