Amanda Furnace was a stone stack 35 feet high and 10 feet across inside, built in 1829 by James E. McDowell, John Culver, John H., Edwin P., Robert C., and William L. Poage and later owned by the Paull family, who are buried on the hillside above. In 196 days of 1838 it made 100 tons of iron, and it produced 200 tons in 1854, its last year of operation. Kentucky had been a major iron producer since 1791, ranking 3rd in the U.S. in the 1830s and 11th in 1965. Charcoal from timber, native ore, and limestone supplied 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 with depletion of ore and timber and the growth of railroads.