Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-08-03
attiseellaneuus Rradine.
EARLY IRONMAKERS.
Facts About the Pioneers In North and
South Carolina.

"EactS About the South" is tne Title
Of a neat little pamphlet just issued
at Baltimore, by Mr.. Richard H. Ed
monds, editor of The Manufacturers
Record. He gives some interesting
facts that are not generally known.
For instance, that in the southern
colonies iron making became an i'm
portant industry even before the be-
ginning of the Eighteenth century.
at is curious fact" says Swank, in
his "History of Iron In All Ages,
"that the daring men who pushed their
way into the wilds of Western Carolina
and East Tennessee in the last century,
and who set up their small furnaces
and bloomeries when forts yet took
the place of hamlets, founded an iron
industry which still retains many of
the primitive features that at first
characterized it,"
Colonel John L. Black, son OF one
of the pioneer iropmakers of South
Carolina, in a letter to Mr.. Edmonds,
speaking of the early days of iron
manufacturing in North Carolina and
upper South Carolina, says:
Small quantities of iron were made
in Catalan forges along the Piedmont
slope in the Carolinas prior to and du-
ring the Revolutionary war. A Catalan
forge was operated at the falls of the
Reedy river on the very spot where
the Camperdown cotton mill now
stands, in the centre of the city of
Greenville, during the Revolutionary
war. The limonite ores of the Viclnl-
ty were used, and only small quanti-
ties of iron were made. Tradition
saws that gun barrels were forged on
the spot from this iron. A forge was
also operated at Bowen's mill, in
Pickens county, - miles west of Green
Vile, and the writer has seen and ex-
amined the old Stag at this spot, which
gives indications of very pure iron.
Other Catalan forges were built and
operated in Spartanburg and York
counties, South Carolina, and Lincoln
county, North Carolina.
During the Revolutionary war,
William Hill, the father of the late
General D. H. Hill, of the Confederate
army, operated forge and small blast
furnace on Allison creek, at the foot of
Nannie's Mountain, and made iron
from these very pure ores. Lord Corn
wallis in his advance from upper South
Carolina to Charlotte, burned Hills
works and destroyed some small iron
guns Mr.. Hill had cast to aid in the
colonial rebellion. Vestiges of this
furnace are still to be seen, and frag-
ment of an iron cannon, taken lately
from Allison creek, can now be seen
in Yorkville, S. G.
A small blast furnace was erected on
Kings creek, seven miles southwest
of Blacksburg, by one Stroup, about
1922; also Catalan forge. In 1924
Stroup left Kings creek and moved
seven miles to the present site of the
Cherokee Cotton factory, and began to
build iron works on Broad river. This
move was to get alongside of the cele-
brated gray ores of Blacksburg, S. G.
In 1926 company known as E. Gra-
ham & Co., composed of James A.
Black, Emor Graham, Jacob Deal and
P. and R. Bryce, all of Columbia, S.
c., and David Johnson, of Union coun-
ty, bought the Stroup interest and pro-
ceded to build an iron works. E.
Graham & Co.'S. interests were merged
into an incorporated company, the
Kings Mountain Iron company, with
100000 capital, portion of which
was invested in slaves as operatives
and mechanics.
In 1927 the Kings Mountain Iron
company erected blast furnace. This
was replaced by large furnace on the
same site in 1887, and this furnace was
designed for hot blast, but only cold
blasts were ever applied. The present
Cherokee Cotton mill occupies the
same site. In 1882 E. Graham & Co.
built rolling mill in Union county,
two miles below their furnace. In 1880
they cast guns-6 and 9-pounders-for
the state of South Carolina, and guam
titles of round shot also grape and
canister. In 1887 the Kings Noun
tain Iron company built a second blast
furnace on Kings creek, four miles
southeast of the town of Blacksburg.
In the same year the Magnetic Iron
company, capital s250,00O, of which
so per cent. was invested in slaves,
was incorporated and built at Chero-
kee ford, on Broad river, one mile
above the site of the Kings Mountain
Iron works, and near the present town
of Blacksburg, four furnaces, rolling
mill, nail factory, etc. This company
graded and operated tramway five
miles long to bring in ores, limestone,
charcoal and supplies. This was op-
Grated in 1888, and the old grade, in a
good state of preservation, may now
be seen from Cherokee ford to Gaffncy
City.
About 1887 a furnace was erected by
the South Carolina Manufacturing Co.,
near the old Cowpens battle-ground,
in Spartanburg county. This company
also built and operated mill to roll
iron, and nail factory at Hurricane
Shoals, on Pacolet river, now the site
of Clifton cotton mills, with its S0,-