New Laurel Furnace

Today seemed like a great day for some preseason site locating. I wasn't expecting much because everything is still overgrown. That really didn't matter much in this case. I was able to locate the New Laurel Furnace along an extremely rough road, in state game lands, in a very isolated section of Dunbar Township. The only real vegetation were mountain ferns and trees, so everything was pretty clear at the site. The day was cool enough to keep the snakes at bay too. 

Located along Morgan Run, the New Laurel Furnace was constructed, (according to the Second Geological Survey) in 1827 or 1828 by James Paull and Sons. In 1834 it was sold to David Kaine, who ran it until 1838. The furnace is roughly 190 years old. The New Laurel Furnace is located about 1 1/4 miles downstream (Morgan Run) from the "Old" Laurel Furnace. The original Laurel Furnace was constructed in 1794 or 1797, depending on the resource, by Joshua Gibson and Samuel Paxson. It was later sold to Reuben Mochabee and Samuel Wurtz, operators of the Hampton Forge (ca. 1800), located along the Indian Creek, a half mile from the Youghiogheny River. The original furnace was blown out in 1812 and its stone was used to build the New Laurel Furnace. That makes the furnace stone itself around 220 years old. The Hampton Forge lasted until 1825. 

This is one of the nicer furnace sites I've found. Three sides of the furnace are intact, as well as what I am assuming was part of the structure that held the water wheel. Stones are still intact along the mill race and this site is a slag collectors dream. 

Located right off the road. This is New Laurel Furnace today.

Still very much intact, but it's starting to show its age.

To the right of the furnace is the structure I believe may have been part of the water wheel. The race is between the furnace and this structure. It still contains water and sections of the water are red from iron.

This corner is still incredibly intact.

The structure I believe once held the water wheel. This is side facing the furnace.

The tuyere arch where the bellows would have blown air into the furnace. This arch is approximately 8 feet wide at the bottom and 12 feet high.

The bottom inside of the arch.

Looking at the wheel pit from the arch.

You can see the intact stone along the race.

Huge pieces of cut stone that have fallen down from the furnace.

This would have been the side where the furnace was tapped and where the iron flowed. Only one side of the arch remains.

You can partially see a section of the stack that is hidden behind the debris. I wasn't climbing these rocks. Mountains and large rocks = rattlesnakes.

You can see a little bit more of the stack here.

Trees growing out of the side of the furnace. Nature is slowly reclaiming these.

Notice the stone to the right slowly pulling away.

The top of the intact arch.

The back side of the possible wheel structure. Notice how the stone is perfectly shaped.

Furnace slag everywhere! Nice and shiny.

Another view of the corner.

Huge cut stone always makes me drool. I doubt that will ever change.

The ground at this corner has eroded enough that the footers this whole massive structure rests on are exposed.

A couple closing views. What an incredible furnace.

Such incredible stonework.

After leaving the furnace, I drove down the road along Morgans Run and came across this waterfall. After asking around a little bit it turns out its name is Blue Hole. You can jump off the cliff into the hole or slide down the falls. I didn't do either.

A little further down, Morgans Run passes under the Great Allegheny Passage before emptying into the Youghiogheny River.