Virtual Museum of Pennsylvania Iron Furnaces & Iron Works

Digital Iron Furnace Research Library
The 19th Century Society of Pennsylvania
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Iron Furnaces of Armstrong County Pennsylvania
Red Bank Furnace & IronWorks "Old Redbank,"
Kellersburg,
Madison Township,
Armstrong County,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Pennsylvania Iron Furnace Sourcebook
Armstrong County Iron Works & Iron Furnaces

A Tribute to the Iron Masters and Iron Workers
that built and keep in-blast
the old Stone Blast Furnaces of Pennsylvania.

by
Raymond A. Washlaski, Historian, Archaeologist, Editor & Web Master,
Ryan P. Washlaski, Technical Advisor.


Virtual Museum of Pennsylvania Iron Furnaces & Iron Works
A Publication of the 19th Century Society of Pennsylvania
Updated Dec. 7, 2004
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Red Bank Furnace "Old Redbank" & Iron Works:
Located on Red Bank Creek near the Allegheny River, near Kellersburg, Madison Twp., Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Date Built: ca. 1842
Date Out-of-Blast: ca.1855

Other names Red Bank Furnace was known by:
Redbank Furnace;
Reynolds & Richie's Furnace (ca.1849);
Reynolds & Schunk's Furnace ;
Rock Furnace.

(This page still underconstruction.)

Red Bank Furnace "Old Redbank" & Iron Works
A Stone Blast Furnace and Iron Works. Red Bank Furnace was a steam powered cold-blast charcoal iron furnace.
Located on Red Bank Creek, Red Bank (Kellersburg), Madison Twp., Armstrong Co.
Owners:

Short History of Red Bank Furnace:
Documents Relating to the Manufacture of Iron in Pennsylvania, 1850
A Detailed Statement of all the Charcoal Cold Blast Furnaces in Western Pennsylvania in the year 1850
Published on behalf of the Convention of Iron Masters,
Which met in Philadelphia, on the Twentierth of December, 1849
Philadelphia: Published by the General Committee. 1850
Name of Works date of Sheriff's
sale or failure		 Furnaces
in-blast 1849		 Furnaces
out-of-blast 1849		 date of construction Capacity in Tons
Red Bank Furnace         1        1842   1,900 Tons
        Owners  Post Office      Kind of ore used  No. of Men &
Boys Employed		  No. of horses &
mules Employed
Reynolds & Richie Company   Red Bank Argillareous Carbonate       100         70
Stack
No. Tuyeres		   Stack
  Bosh		  Stack
 Height		  Kind of
Power used		 Kind of Metal Made  Largest product Actual Product
in 1849
    2  9 feet  32 feet    Steam mottled & white iron
or hard iron		    1,900 Tons     1,900 Tons

                                                                                                           (Iron Masters Association,1850:n.p.)
"Old" Redbank Furnace (Rock Furnace):  This steam powered cold blast charcoal furnace was built in 1841 by Alexander Reynolds and Christian Shunk.  It was blown out in 1853.
Shunk had withdrawn in 1842;  he became postmaster at Redbank, now Kellersburg.
The stone from this furnace was hauled to the grounds of the Transylvania Bible School on PA Rt. 28, a few miles north of Freeport. (Sharp & Thomas,1966:11-12)

Location:
To reach the site of "Old" Redbank Furnace, follow PA Rt. 28 north from Kittanning to the Village of Oakland (Distant Post Office).  Turn left on PA SR1004 and follow it for about 4 miles to Kellersburg;  in Kellersburg turn right onto a dirt road, T-494, opposite the church;  follow this road down the hill and through the strip mine area.  The furnace site can be recognized by the vast amount of furnace slag scattered around [ca.1966].  Nothing remains of the stack.  Its location can be seen against the hill at the back edge of a large level area.  Because of the stripping in this area it is difficult to give definite directions. (Sharp & Thomas,1966:12)

Bibliographical Sources:  This section under construction.                                                    

[no pictures are presently available for Red Bank Furnace, Armstrong Co., Pa.]
If you have pictures or know of where pictures of the furnace are located or additional information on Red Bank Furnace, Armstrong Co., please contact the Ironmaster

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Cited References for Pennsylvania Iron Works & Iron Furnaces
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