Fayette Furnace
Breakneck (aka Finley) - was built along Breakneck Creek in Bullskin Township by Miller, Rogers and Paull in 1818(S&T). It went out of blast about 1837 or 1838. A dam was built about 100 yards below the furnace and now the site is under water.
Follow SR1051 east approximately 3.2 miles from Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville, about 0.2 miles beyond the intersection with SR1019. You will see a dam on Breakneck Creek on the left. The furnace site is underwater about 100 yards above the dam. Coordinates 40º 02.483'N - 79º 32117'W . to top
Etna - Was along Trumps Run in Connellsville Township. It was built by Thomas and Joseph Gibson in 1815, and went out of blast in 1836 or 1840(s&t). The furnace site is now covered with 20 to 30 feet of fill (Sharp and Thomas).
The Etna site is one mile from Connellsville and 1/3 mile from the Youghiogheny River at the end of Etna Street, which runs parallel to Pittsburgh Street and one block west.
Coordinates- See city maps. to top
Pine Grove (aka Brownfield) - Was built about 1805 along a branch of Mountain Creek in Georges Township. It was owned in 1857 by Basil Brownfield. Nothing remains.
Follow the Mon-Fay Expressway (PA43) south from its junction with US119 in South Uniontown about 7.2 miles (or about 0.4 miles beyond a bridge over Mountain Creek. Turn left at this point (T518?) and proceed 1 mile to a fork in the road. Bear left at the fork (T518) and follow this road about 3/4 mile. The furnace site is to the left of the road about 150 feet before crossing the creek mentioned above. This area may have been strip mined and directions may not hold. Coordinates 39º 45.833'N - 79º 45.317'W.
Redstone (aka Huston) - Was constructed about 1797 along Lick Run, a branch of Redstone Creek in Uniontown Township. It was in operation fairly steadily until 1870. Joseph Huston was an early owner followed by his nephew Judge John Huston, then John Snyder. The Huston home still stood across the road from the furnace site. The land was stripped about 1940 and nothing remains except slag along the road and through the field(s&t).
Go east on US40 from Uniontown to Hopwood. Turn south on on SR3027, Hopwood-Fairchance Road about 0.4 mile. Turn right (west) on Redstone Furnace Road about 0.4 mile. A street (Furnace Road) comes in from the right, and John Huston's red brick house was (1965) on the left, opposite the end of this street. The furnace stood near the creek in a field to the north of the intersection and back of the houses along the creek. We did not visit this site. Approximate coordinates 39º 52.589'N - 79º 42.442'W. to top
Fayette County Special Sources:
Gary Sherwin(gs) sherwin.ws/Dunbar_Creek_Project/
Donald C. Morrison(dcm) Dunbar 1883inc~1983 The Furnace Town, The Dunbar Borough Council - The Centennial Book Committee 1983, Author p1 through 41
home.att.net/~rrbritt/SmithfieldHistory.htm (smh)
members.aol.com/lunetta595/Records/AddCorr/gdavisd1.htm (dav)
Joyce Koballa (ths) The Herald Standard, article 04/27/04.
Samuel T. Wiley (hpc) History of Preston County, West Virginia 1887, pg376
Vince Ciaramella - St.John's Furnace directions & GPS
John Henke - St.John's Furnace directions & GPS
Jean Morgan - Bullskin Twp. Historical Society (jm)
Your source for Western Pennsylvania Iron Furnace Information Web Page Written and Maintained by Richard
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