Estill County, KY: 1830 Estill, 1854 Cottage and 1869 Fitchburg Old Blast Furnaces

Estill: (Abandoned; Satellite)

Cottage: (Abandoned; Satellite)

Fetchburg: (Abandoned; Satellite, the furnace is to the west of the pin next to the hill.)

All of the furnace ruins seem to be covered by a tree canopy because I could not find them on the satellite images.

Two of the four photos posted by Abandoned with the comment:

Cottage Furnace is another early blast furnace in the Red River Iron Region of Kentucky. Built in 1854 in Estill County, it featured a stack 35 feet in height. Fueled by charcoal, its hot air blast was powered by a steam engine. For a period, the furnace owners utilized slave labor, although the owners were described as "fair and honest." Ultimately, they became one of the first businesses in the Commonwealth to free their slaves after the Civil War. Cottage Furnace ceased operations after the owner learned of his son's death in 1879. Neglecting to tap the furnace, you can still find iron stuck inside its hearth.

Nearby is Estill Furnace, which was built in 1830. It featured a stack 34 feet high, a bosh 10 feet wide, and a daily capacity of seven tons. It was rebuilt in 1849 and 1865 and operated until 1874.

➤ Check out more on the history of Cottage Furnace at https://abandonedonline.net/location/pig-iron-furnaces/#Cottage-Furnace

➤ Check out more on the history of Estill Furnace at https://abandonedonline.net/location/pig-iron-furnaces/#Estill-Furnace

Sherman Cahal shared

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While trying to find these blast furnaces on a satellite map, I noticed a third cold-air blast furnace, Fetchburg. I also noticed that Estill County has Lock & Dams #12 and #14, which I researched just a couple of days ago.

Beverly Morefield, Jun 2022