National Register of Historic Places

Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site

Weirton, Hancock County, West Virginia
Listed
January 1, 1976
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
76001935

About this property

The Peter Tarr Furnace was the first iron furnace west of the Alleghenies. The furnace was built in the 1790s by a man named Grant on property owned by American pioneer James Campbell along Kings Creek near modern Weirton, West Virginia in Hancock County. Peter Tarr purchased the business shortly after its construction, as Grant was no longer able to maintain it. Along with a partner, Peter Tarr then established the firm of Connell, Tarr, & Company. A forerunner to the modern steel mill, the furnace was fueled using local timber and produced about two tons of metal daily. The metal produced at the mill was typically used to make cooking utensils and iron grates. However, during the War of 1812 the metal was used to cast the cannonballs used by Commodore Oliver H. Perry in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. The furnace remained in operation until 1840. In 1968 the shell of the furnace was reconstructed as a permanent landmark.

Location

Weirton, Hancock County, West Virginia

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINAL
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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Questions about this property

When was Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site listed on the National Register?

Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site?

Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site?

The period of significance for Tarr, Peter, Furnace Site is recorded as the listed era.

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