Bellefonte Furnace was the ninety-sixth blast furnace built in the Hanging Rock Region since 1818. When erected in 1942 by Armco Steel Corp., it was considered the most highly perfected in existence, with a hearth 25 feet across and daily production of 1000 tons of iron, later increased to 2600 tons with a 28¾-foot hearth. It was named for a pioneer charcoal-fueled furnace a mile south. Kentucky had been a major iron producer since 1791, ranking third in the U.S. in the 1830s and eleventh 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 the depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads.