National Register of Historic Places

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)

Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina
Listed
May 7, 1987
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
87000704

About this property

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) is the remains of an early 19th-century iron-making furnace in Cherokee County, South Carolina. The site shows early American iron-making technology. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Iron making began in Upstate South Carolina just before the Revolutionary War. The iron making furnaces were located in areas that had deposits of iron ore and limestone, forests to supply wood to make charcoal, and water power to operate the bellows. In the 1850s, the local iron works faced increased competition from Northern furnaces using anthracite coal to produce iron that could be easily transported by rail. The furnace was constructed around 1807. In 1834, it was purchased and rebuilt by the South Carolina Manufacturing Company, which was located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The furnace was operated until around 1850. Although the furnace has partially collapsed, parts of it are over 20 ft (6.1 m) tall. In addition to the furnace, the road bed, a flat unloading area above the furnace, and heaps of ore, charcoal, and slag remain on the site.

Location

Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina

Categories

INDUSTRYHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALENGINEERING
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Questions about this property

When was Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) listed on the National Register?

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)?

Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)?

The period of significance for Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73) is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Cowpens Furnace Site (38CK73)?

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