Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-07-02
IRON In YORK.

The address of Hon. Walter Hazard,
orator Of the day Of the occasion Of
South Carolina day at jamestown,
consisted mainly of an Industrial re-
view of this state from its earliest
settlement up to the present time.
The address was prepared with great
care and was quite lengthy. To re-
produce 1t would require considerably
more than a page Of The Enquirer,
and 1t is not practicable to spare the
necessary space; but the following
historical information about early iron
manufacture in this locality is worth
printing again:
From the time Of the first settle
ment until 1860, the south devoted far
more attention to manufacturing than
Is generally supposed. At the begin
ming Of the nineteenth century, just as
the world was entering the age Of ma
chinery its Industrial interests equal
led, IL they did not exceed, those OF
New England. In the southern colo
nies iron making became an import
ant industry even before the beginning
of the eighteenth century. Iron works
were built in South Carolina as early
as the year 1773. At the beginning OF
the Revolution the state offered liberal
premiums to those who would estab-
lish iron works, and in York and ad-
joining counties a number OF furnaces
and rolling mills and a nail mill were
established. Small quantities Of iron
were made in Catalan forges along the
Piedmont slope prior to and during the
Revolutionary war. Such Forge was
\ 81 foll l, 30 kIA n1Ny Il
er, in the centre Of the city OF Green
willie, on the spot where the Camper
down cotton mill now stands, and ira
dition says that gun barrels were
forged on the same spot from the iron
there made. During that war William
Hill. the father of the late Gen. d. h
Hill, of the Confederate army, operated
a forge and q small blast furnace on
Allison creek, and made iron from the
very pure ores found there. These
works were destroyed by Lord Corn
wallis on his march to Charlotte, N.
c.. A small blast furnace was erected
on Kings creek near Blacksburg, In
1922, and in 1924 Stroup began the
erection of works on Broad river. In
1925 these works were bought and
subsequently operated by the Kings
Mountain Iron company, with 100000
capital a portion Of which was In
vested in slaves as operatives and
mechanics This company In 1917,
erected a blast furnace, which was re-
placed by a larger one In 1887. In
1882 a rolling mill was built by =.
Graham & Co., in Union county. In
1880 they cast guns-six and nine
pounders-for the state Of South Car
olina, quantities Of round shot and
also grade and canister. In 1897 the
Kings Mountain Iron company built
a second blast furnace. and In the
same year the Magnetic Iron company,
with a capital Of $250,00O, built at
Cherokee Ford, on Broad river, near
the present town Of Blacksburg, four
furnaces, a rolling mill. nail factory,
etc. This company graded and oper-
ated tramway five miles long TO
transport ores, limestone. charcoal and
supplies. About 1887 a furnace was
erected by the South Carolina Manu-
featuring company near old CoWpens
battlefield. This company also built
and operated a mill to roll iron and a
nail factory at Hurricane Shoals, on
Pacolet river. now the site Of the Cliff
ton cotton mills. During the civil war
the works spoken of above were oper-
ated to their utmost capacity, casting
blasts. shot and shell. At the close
Of the war the emancipation OF the
slaves and the depreciation In value
of Confederate securities, In Whlch
they had largely invested, bankrupted
all the companies. The supply OF char
coal was exhausted and the business
was abandoned.