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| Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" & Iron Works:
A stone blast furnace & iron works. Located
on Scotch Hill Road, on Toby Creek, 8 mi. east of Clarion, near the Village
of Helen Furnace, Highland Twp., Clarion County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Date Built: ca. 1845 Date Out-of-Blast: ca.1857
Other names Helen Furnace was known by: |
| Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace"& Iron
Works: Owners: Robert Barber & Packer (Caldwell,1877) Robert Barker & Wilson S. Packer (Beck,n.d.) David Richey (Davis,1887:118) David Richey, Samuel Wilson & David McKim (History of Clarion Co.,1976) Samuel Wilson (Caldwell,1877) Samuel Wilson & David McKim (Iron Manuf. Guide), (Lesley,1859:102) W.S. Packer & Company (ca.1850) |
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Helen Furnace, Highland Township, Clarion Co. 1872 Map of Highland Township, Clarion, showing the location of the Village of Helen Furnace and the settlement around the furnace location. (Map copied from "Atlas of the County of Lawrence & The State of Pennsylvania," Published by G.M.Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, PA, ca.1872) |
| Location: To reach Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace," go north from Clarion, on PA SR1005, cross the Clarion River to the Village of Helen Furnace. Just south of the Village of Helen Furnace, Wolbert Dr. turns west. Turn west on Wolbert Dr., about 1 mi. from the intersection you will see the remains of the furnace stack near Toby Creek on the left about 100 feet from the road. (Sharp & Thomas,1966:34)
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Short History of Helen Furnace "Highland
Furnace":
Helen Furnace Helen Furnace, Located on Scotch Hill road, 8 miles from Clarion. Height 32 feet, 8 foot bosh. Built by Robert Barber & Packer in 1845. Failed, then bought by David Richey. Then bought by Samuel Wilson, with whom David McKim was a partner for a while. Cold Blast. Production was 756 tons in only 26 weeks in 1856, ore was mined at back of tunnel head. Abandoned 1856 or 1857. Built on "old McNaughton farm." Named "Highland Furnace," in honor of Alexander McNaughton, by builders. McNaughton was proud of his Highland Scotland heritage. Pronunciation with Scottish accent was "heeland," which eventually became "Helen." (Caldwell,1877: ) Helen Furnace, cold blast; built in 1845, by Robert Barber; eight foot bosh, thirty-two feet high; it was eight miles from Clarion, on the Scotch Hill road. On Barber & Packer's failure the property for a short time was in the hands of David Richey, and was finally purchased by Samuel Wilson, with whom D. McKim was a partner for a while. Made in twenty-six weeks of 1856 756 tons of iron, from ore mined back of the tunnel head; stopped manufacture in 1856 or '57. (Davis,1887:118) Helen Furnace was erected at the State and Clarion road crossing, on the old McNaughton farm, by Robert Barker, and Wilson S. Packer, in 1845. The property passed into the hands of Samuel Wilson, who ran it till 1857. The Wilson family have been prominently identified with the material interests of this section. The builders named it "Highland" Furnace in honor of Alexander McNaughton, who prided himself in being a Highlander, but the word being pronounced after the Scottish dialect "Hieland," the name was corrupted to "Helen" Furnace, leading to the erroneous supposition that it was christened with a feminine name. The name of the township has the same origin; it is commonly, but incorrectly, pronounced "Helen" township. (Davis.1887:n.p.) Helen Furnace. Erected in 1845 and out of blast in 1857. The original name of this furnace was "Highland Furnace" in honor of Alexander McNaughton, a Scotsman who owned the farm upon which the furnace was built. This was pronounced "Hieland" and was later corrupted to "Helen." It was a cold blast, two tuyere furnace, powered by steam. In 1850 it was owned by W.S. Packer and Company. The inner stack was in good condition ca.1966. The outer stones have fallen down. Someone several years ago, ca.1966, piled some of the stones to form a round stack. It is a poor imitation of a furnace. (Sharp & Thomas,1966:34) Helen Furnace, was reconstructed in 1977. (Clarion County Historical Society) |
Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" ca.1938, From the Norma H.
Arnold Iron Furnace Scrapbook, in the collections of the Clarion County
Historical Society, Clarion, PA |
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One of the Archs of Helen Furnace, ca.1938, or later,
from the Norma H. Arnold Iron Furnace Scrapbook, in the collections of the
Clarion County Historical Society, Clarion, PA (Photo courtesy Lindsley A. Dunn, Director-Curator of the Clarion County Historical Society, Clarion, PA) |
Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" ca.1938 or later, From the
Norma H. Arnold Iron Furnace Scrapbook, in the collections of the Clarion
County Historical Society, Clarion, PA |
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Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" ca.1938 or later, showing
the round pile of furnace stone referred to by Sharp & Thomas, From the
Norma H. Arnold Iron Furnace Scrapbook, in the collections of the Clarion
County Historical Society, Clarion, PA (Photo courtesy Lindsley A. Dunn, Director-Curator of the Clarion County Historical Society, Clarion, PA) |
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Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" ca.1938 or later, showing
the round pile of furnace stone referred to by Sharp & Thomas, in the
collections of the Clarion County Historical Society, Clarion, PA (Photo courtesy of Arnold Kepple, author of "History of Callensburg Boro & Licking Township.") |
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Helen Furnace "Highland Furnace" the reconstructed Helen Furnace, no date, Village of Helen Furnace, Clarion Co., PA. (Photo from "Pennsylvania Heritage," Spring 1985). |
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Helen Furnace "Highland
Furnace" Undate photo of the work arch or casting arch of the reconstructed Helen Furnace. (Photo courtesy of Sue Llewellyn of Bedford Co.) |
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Helen Furnace "Highland
Furnace" Undated photo taken from the road behind the reconstructed Helen Furnace stack. (Photo courtesy of Sue Llewellyn of Bedford Co.) |
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Helen Furnace Undate photo taken from the reconstructed charging ramp at the top of the furnace stack, looking toward the charging hole. The ramp was closed off with the orange snow fence, because it was unsafe, at the time. (Photo courtesy of Sue Llewellyn, of Bedford Co.) |
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Helen Furnace Undated phot taken from the ground looking up at the charging ramp of the reconstructed Helen Furnace stack. (Photo courtesy of Sue Llewellyn, Bedford Co.) |
| Bibliographical Sources: This section under construction. |
| [no other pictures are presently available for Helen Furnace, Highland
Twp., Clarion Co., Pa.] If you have pictures or know of where pictures of the furnace are located or additional information on Helen Furnace, Clarion Co., please contact the Ironmaster |
If you have additional information or pictures on the Iron
Furnaces of Clarion County, Pennsylvania Contact: Ray Washlaski, Web Master Need a web site for your family or organization, The "Mercers, an Undertakers" Web Productions, will do it for you at a reasonable cost, contact the "Mercers, an Undertakers" Copyright 2002, All rights reserved, by Raymond A. Washlaski, Ryan P. Washlaski & The 19th Century Society of Pennsylvania. Web site Design by "Mercers, an Undertakers" Web Design Company |
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