Preliminary Archaeological Examination of Ohio's First Blast Furnace: the Eaton (hopewell)

The Eaton (Hopewell) Furnace located near Struthers, Ohio was built in 1802-1803. The first blast furnace west of the Alleghenies and the first industry of any kind in the Western Reserve, it went out of blast circa 1808 due to a combination of factors and fell into ruin. Historical sources on the Eaton are scarce and informational sources are vague, but archaeological excavations carried out in 1975, 1976, and 1977 have led to some interesting findings concerning early blast furnace operations. Subsequent chemical and metallurgical analyses of furnace artifacts and specimens provided insights into the level of efficiency of the operation and the quality of the raw materials, products, and byproducts. Foremost among these findings is the fact that the Eaton's use of bituminous coal in combination with charcoal was the earliest use substantiated in the New World. OHIO J. SCI. 80(2): 52, 1980 The Eaton-Hopewell Furnace (33MH9) is located in Yellow Creek Gorge just 200 m downstream from manmade Lake Hamilton in Mahoning County, between the cities of Struthers and Poland, two suburbs of Youngstown, Ohio. It lies midway up a steep slope with an incline in excess of 45 degrees. The slope soil is classified as Dekalb very stony loam, 25% to 50% slopes (DkF), characteristic of very steep valleys in Mahoning County (Lessig et al 1971, p. 78). The furnace, built in 1802-1803, was the earliest blast furnace west of the Alleghenies and the earliest industry of any kind in the Western Reserve. It operated with only one major interruption until about 1808, when, due to a combination of factors including an inefficient blast process, a shortage of readily available hardwood for charcoal, and an accidental blow-out, it went out of blast. Very little is known about the operation years. What few accounts I have found written in local histories (Butler 1921, p. 658) are somewhat repetitive (even in their errors), suggesting that they were gleaned from the same primary and insubstantial source. Prior to excavation, very little of the furnace was observable and, like the reManuscript received 30 January 1979 (#79-8). mainder of the site, was either destroyed or buried under 175 years of erosional overburden. Only the tuyere arch and a small 1.75 m rim segment of the inner chimney of refractory sandstone were visible. Evidence, including old photographs, indicated that little more of the furnace than this was exposed for at least the last 75 years. The cover vegetation was so dense with elm, sycamore, wild grape, sumac, and poison ivy that it took 4 full days just to clear the area for gridding. Excavations covering 3 seasons were carried out by a crew consisting of 15 Struther's High School seniors, 5 university archaeology students and recent graduates, and a more or less steady supply of university volunteers. The site was divided into 7 major excavation zones, 4 of which were of prime importance. This division served 2 purposes: it allowed for simultaneous sampling and investigation in different areas of the site, and it facilitated deployment of the field crew over the relatively restricted and precarious land area. FURNACE ZONE The Furnace zone consisted of the furnace structure itself and the fill within its perimeters. Overburden often reached a depth of more than 2 m. Because of