Life in Zaleski

Zaleski, though a small village today, was once a booming town of 1,500 people and the largest and most prosperous community in Vinton County during the height of Hope Furnace, with 15 saloons, seven general stores, three churches, two doctors, two newspapers, a school, a Masonic lodge, two brickyards, and a flour mill. Yet most workers of Hope Furnace did not share in that prosperity. Most furnace employees lived in Hope, a company town of about 500 residents that sprang up around the furnace. Like many company towns of the era, the furnace provided housing and paid workers with script from the company store. Company store merchandise was overpriced, and the script was worthless in other stores. While the ironmaster, storekeeper, and company secretary lived well, most iron workers lived in small, dirt-floored log houses. Hope was abandoned when Hope Furnace closed in 1874.

Ohio · United States