The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-06-07

Iron ore was mined in Washing
ton County back in the Horse anc
Buggy Days. At Mt. Aetna, severa
miles north of Beaver Creek, ore
was gotten out of the mountain spun
which has always borne the name
of the famous volcano-but nc
smoke and fire, except when the big
iron furnace located here was in
operation. There were also fur
naces at the Old Forge, on the An
tietam and on Licking Creek, in the
western section of the county at
Park Head.
The furnace at Park Head was on
land adjoining the Ditto farm.
Where the ore came from at some of
these furnaces is not known. Some
no doubt was gotten out of the earth
where the furnace was. At Mt.
Aetna there is today, Stag strewn
about, representing offal from the
furnace. It may be that some of
these places made cannon for the
Revolutionary War.
At the Old Forge the Hughes
Brothers manufactured large ten
plate stoves-large enough to &C
commodate cord of wood and keep
fire over night. They also made
nails.
An iron mine was located near
Keedysville sometime before 1880.
Elias Snavely lived on his 300-acre
farm about a mile from the mines.
AS a sideline he undertook to OPP
crate the mines but it did not pay
him to keep on the job. About the
year 1880 Mr.. Krebs, of York, Pa,
interested in an iron furnace, came
on the job, put in an ore washer and
put men to digging out the ore and
washing all the dirt or soil out.
Then he had practically pure ore.
This ore was then hauled on wagons
a distance of nearly four miles to
Antietam Station, on the Washing
ton County Branch of the B. & O.,
and shipped to York. Within a year
railroad connection was made in
Hagerstown between the B. & o.
and c. V. Railroads. Then the ore
was hauled to Keedysville about a
mile and loaded on the B. & o.
tracks.
MIR. Krebs discontinued the work
soon after, saying the iron ore in
western Pennsylvania, Minnesota
and elsewhere could be mined much |
cheaper and delivered to the East
ern States.
The ore on the Geeting farm at
Keedysville was called Red Mema-
tite," among the most valuable of
iron ores. In this field it was any
where from 10 to so feet or more
below the surface, which made it
costly to mine. A tunnel was run
under a hill to the depth of Is or
more feet, and all this made it cost
the more. There are visible ev-
licences today of iron ore deposits
at RED HILL" where the ground is
distinctively red.
Many charcoal pits are reminders
of the days when the mountain tim
Der in the southern part of our coun-
ty was converted into charcoal and
hauled, by horse and wagon, of
course, to Antietam Furnace, three
miles from Sharpsburg, to be used
IN the manufacture of iron That
was before the method of making
coke out of bituminous coal was
known.
Some traces of ore have been
found in the Keedysville Cemetery
when graves were opened. On the
c. M. Keedy farm, not far away
from the cemetery, Mr.. Keedy sunk
shafts in search of ore but only
slight traces were found mot
to encourage further efforts.
Here are some of the things that
were happening in Hagerstown 81
years ago-in 1920 to be exact.
Miss Sue Frick, the County Home
Demonstration, suggested list of
don't" for the successful making
and preserving of vinegar.
The sixth annual reunion of the
Neikirk family was held in the City
Park, with 100 or more present. An
interesting program was arranged,
n charge of D. Earl Neikirk, in the
absence of the secretary, Grayson
Aefauver, who was in Arizona for
.;aEls.