Raw Materials

Iron-making required three basic ingredients: iron ore, charcoal, and limestone. When mixed in proper amounts and subjected to intense heat in the furnace, they produced molten iron and a waste material called slag. The primary ingredient was iron ore. At Buckeye Furnace, ore was mined in the surrounding area and hauled by wagon to the furnace. In this region, iron ore lay near the surface in seams five to eight inches thick, and miners seldom dug deeper than twelve feet to reach it. They stripped away the soil and rock above the ore, then sent it to the furnace stockyard, where it was roasted to remove impurities. Workers built a mound of alternating layers of charcoal and iron ore covered with soil, ignited the charcoal, and let it burn for several days. As it burned, the charcoal removed impurities from the ore. Once purified, the ore was stored in the yard or stock shed until needed, then moved to the charging shed for use in the furnace.

Ohio · United States