'Charcoal Furnaces of the Hanging Rock Iron Region' map

The pictured reproduction of a map illustrates charcoal furnaces once located in the Hanging Rock Iron Region of southeastern Ohio and the bordering region of Kentucky. While iron production originated in the northeastern corner of Ohio during the first half of the nineteenth century, southern Ohioans soon dominated the industry. The most productive area was centered near Hanging Rock, along the Ohio River. By 1860, southern Ohioans had established sixty-nine iron furnaces, producing more than 100,000 tons of iron annually, across Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Scioto, and Vinton Counties. The manufacturers sent much of the iron up and down the Ohio River to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, allowing southern Ohioans to prosper