The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-03-27
THE HATHAWAY STOVE. 4"
An Interesting History of Early
Iron Making in Virginia.
"reminiscences Of People and Things
Never Before Published.

forgotten. Rumaging among some old
papers u few days ago, we discovered
the formidable roll of foolscap in the
well known handwriting, in pencil, of
the late J. Marshall McCue. Taking it
up to see what was in tive became deep
ly interested in its perusal. We found it
contained an interesting history of iron
making in Virginia, as well as many
"reminiscences of persons and things,
which will be perused eagerly by the
VIRGINIAN'S many readers.
The pages are written legibly. with but
few erasures, and they are the first cast
of the facts and thoughts as they rapidly
run through the mind of the author.
Maj. McCue was remarkable man in
some respects, and one of the most strik-
ing features of his mind was the vast
store of knowledge it retained of persons
and events, early connected with the his
tory of families, events, &C., of Virginia.
The article below will give the reader an
idea of the extent of this knowledge:
Messrs. Editors:
You will bear me witness that the es-
tablishment of manufactures, especially
of iron, has been great disideratum
with our rejecting, intelligent citizens.
The chagrin and disappointment, some
years since, in the removal of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio shops is not forgotten.
Few of this generation know that the
first, and very far the best, cooking stove,
the Hathaway, ever used in this por-
tion of our Valley, was first made at the
Valley Mills and presently in Staunton.
Some weeks since, spending some
time with a friend near Fishersville, and
taking our meals in the kitchen, stove
of the above pattern, within a short time
of being half as old as this century, that
had never had one cent expended upon
! it for repairs, attracted our notice, and
has elected this history. 1t was among
the first made at Valley Mills in 1914, has
been in use every day since, and though
needing repairs, and with a new stove
on hand over 10 months, has not been
supplanted.
We made this appeal to our friend,
that he donate it to the District Fair
just being organized, and to urge the
authorities to set apart place for it, the
Wooden Mould-Board Plow and other
relics of the past of that character.
"Why, sir,'' said he, 81 can furnish good
| specimen of that ALSO"
In the effort at once made, to trace the
history OF this stove mandatory in Au-
gusta, as it was made first a short time
at Winchester, as will presently appear,
we were referred to the only man living
who had any accurate knowledge. We
feel assured that when the reader has PEI
rused this narrative he will concur with
us that Mr.. VIM. Snuff, of Staunton, is
remarkable for accuracy OF memory.
Since the middle OF June, 1914, he has
been citizen of the county-modest,
retiring. There are many who meet him
every day who do not know him. Many
of the incidents detailed, whilst cotem
poraneous, some may, in some form. have
seen the light. but are worthy of preser-
walton in a connected narrative.
In the last quarter of the last century,
an individual, destined to play a CON
spicuous and honorable part among his
contemporaries, not as regards his own
history, but that of his descendants in
Maryland and Virginia, here deserves
particular mention.
BENJAMIN Blackford, born somewhere
in the vicinity of Gettysburg, Pa, when
comparatively boy. is heard OF for the
first time. receiving a salary Of 81 ,000a
year as manager of the 'Pine Grove"
furnace in that region. We regret that
we know nothing OF his antecedents, or
ers were James and Joseph Arthur,
whose sister, Isabella, young Blackford
married. Neither are we informed when
these men exchanged Pine Grove for the
location on the Monocacy, twelve miles
northeast of Frederick City, on which
stream, nearly in sight of the city, the
battle of the Monocacy was fought.
About 1911, the Arthurs and Blackfords
came to that part of Shenandoah county,
as it was then, settling on the Hawks
bill, short distance from Luray, and
near the farm on which "Peter Ruff
naugh,' founder of the extensive family
of Ruffners in the Shenandoah and
Kanawha valleys, as they smoothed the
name down to. We find on page GO of
the first deed book in our county office,
where he decided to David Slower
$50 acres ION the South River of Shen-
ando, at the mouth of the Hawksbill. y
When these enterprising pioneers, as they
were, in the manufacture OF iron, came
to Virginia as moulders. foundrymen,
golfers, &C., the Shuts, Holtzmans.
Lamisons, Sheelers, Storms, Martins Nc
Daniels, Backmans, Lepers, Glenns and
John, William and Joe Peterson.
At that date several of Benjamin
Blackford's children were grown, OF
nearly so. His sons were Thomas, q
physician, who married Caroline Stein
burger, daughter of the sturdy old citi-
zen, J. Steinburgen, owner of the Mt.
Airey farm, and whose sons, Gen. Peter
H., of Mason, who married a Beale; Will
liam, daughter of Hugh Caperton;
and J. Beaie, who married daughter
of Col. Andrew Beirpe. both Of Union,
Monroe county, w. Va, then rival fam
Soon after the arrival of the Arthurs
and Blaekford, they erected the Isabella
furnace. named after Mrs. Blackford.
1t Is doubtful if any furnace since the
Revolution, in Virginia, has ever played
such part in the history Of iron manu-
facture as this has. The long array of
names above, of moulders. &c., were EN-
ployed each day, over twenty in number
in casting hollow-ware, stoves, NC. Then
two FORCES between the furnace and
mouth of Hawksbil were busy in the
must be soft so as to make them smohth.
If the ore is not of that character, it
must be made by the hot-blast, at that
date unknown in Virginia.
The Arthurs were running the Column
bia furnace, 10 miles from Woodstock
whilst BENJAMIN Blackford and his son,
DIR. Thomas, then the active, prominent
business man, ran the Isabella.
We should have said that John, second
son of Benjamin Blackford, married
Catharine, a sister of Gov. William Smith;
Williams Miss Minor. of Fredericksburg:
Mary, Mr.. Locke: and Jane, VIM. Leper.
A son of the latter married Miss Redman
an the Long Glade, several of whose de-
scendants reside there.
DR.. BlackfOrd found il necessary to
erect another furnace to supply foundry
and forge, and erected one in the head
OF Fort Valley, across from Mt. Jackson,
10 miles distant, and named it Caroline,
after his wife. The metal OF this fur
mace was Of the same quality as that OF
the Isabella. It is not out of place here
to say q word descriptive of this re-
markable freak at nature, the bifurca-
ton. if you will pardon the word, OF the
Massanutten, we do not know how far
above the Caroline. But from the point at
which the mountains part to the mouth,
below Strasburg, it is near 25 miles. The
average width Of the Valley Is near four
miles. "Berner's Springs" forty years
ago, as looked upon from the top OF the
mountain, approaching from Woodstock,
was a picture. Boyer scarcely did justice.
in his antewar album, to the interest
ing scenes in Virginia To illustrate the
ephemeral character of such property,
we may name it's contemporary, Shan
nopdale," in tho southeast corner OF JET,
ferson. on the Shenandoah river, anq
the Blue Sulphur in Greenhrier ana
Bath Alum Springs. But it is in the
historic interest that connects Fort Vail