The Noble Furnace, also called Iron Dale, Irondale, and Norma, stands south of the Town of Cripple Creek on Francis Mill Creek. The stack measures 33 feet by 11 feet and was built about 1880-1881 by the Wythe Iron Company.
In 1880 agreements were drawn up whereby John W. Coe of New York and John S. and Henry Noble of New Jersey assigned their interests to the Wythe Iron Company. The furnace was erected on 10 acres of land known as the Nehemiah Fry tract. In 1881 a list of the personal property on the premises was given in order to secure debts. Everything for the manufacturing process was included. Consequently we have the engine house, the coal house, bridge house, stables, corn cribs, the 8 horsepower engine, the 60 horsepower steam engine, two cylinder boilers, a blowing machine, the buddle or ore washing apparatus, anvils, bellows, iron, steel, ore and coal barrows, wheel barrows, merchandise in the store, scales, hay, corn, straw, fodder, and a buggy with bridle and harness.
In 1881 the first year of manufacture, the Wythe Iron Company had a contract to sell 200 tons out of the first production to the Lobdell Car—Wheel Company of Wilmington, Delaware at $31 per ton (2,240 pounds). In that year the furnace produced 700 tons of car-wheel pig iron from 1,700 tons of ore and 108,000 bushels of charcoal. The furnace employed 60-70 men and used 2.4 tons of ore to produce one ton of iron. The product was sent to New York, St. Louis, Wilmington, and Cincinnati.
Early in 1882 the business was sold to John F. Slaughter, George Dunn and James Walker and the furnace went into blast on July 25, with plans to run until the first of January; however, after running about two months and manufacturing 400 tons of iron, the furnace was shut down due to the scarcity of transportation and labor. It blew in again on December 1, with plans to run until March 1, 1883. Average production was 6-7 tons per day. In 1882 there were 300 tons of iron on hand.
In 1883 Slaughter, Dunn and Company formed the Norma Iron and Mining Company and the ten acres where the furnace was located and the 15,000 acres of mountain land for ore and wood was transferred to the new company. They manufactured number two foundry pig iron with the brand "Norma Iron Company" using local red and brown hematite ores. This furnace was a closed top, cold blast furnace and operated by steam, but was not considered to be successful and after operating several blasts was sold in 1885 to Crockett and Company.
Traditionally the engines installed to produce sufficient air for the furnace were said to be too small to run the furnace to capacity. However, some local citizens report that the furnace was improperly charged by a furnace man who had a grudge against the owners. The furnace chilled and was clogged with the limestone-ore-charcoal charge.
A tramway line was built along Francis Mill Creek to transport the iron to the main line of the railroad. The engine house survives. In 1886 the furnace again changed hands becoming the property of the Iron Mountain Company. It was purchased the next year by the Clinch Valley Coal and Iron Company and finally by the Pulaski Iron Company. During the latter period, the Pulaski Iron Company operated the boarding house, the mines and buddle, but shipped the washed lump ore to the furnace then operating in Pulaski. Dinkey engines and steam shovels were part of the mining scene. The mines were located about two miles from the Noble Furnace and can still be found if rough roads and wooded paths are followed. The Frye trestle, built about this time, improved transportation to Pulaski.
For an excellent presentation.
CHARCOAL IRON FURNACES OF WYTHE COUNTY, VIRGINIA
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