Monroe Furnace, Clarion County, Pennsylvania

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Monroe - Along Piney Creek in Monroe Township, about 1-1/2 miles east of Reidsburg. Built in 1849 there are various accounts of its builder or owners; Cochran & Fulton(jac), Cochran Fulton; W.B.Fetzer &Co., Cochran & Timblin(hcc). It was a cold blast furnace 30' high with an 8' bosh. Produced 1000 tons in 1845 and 1847, and 1250 tons in 1855. Abandoned in 1882, it was dismantled in the summer of 1922(hcc/s&t). Nothing remains of the stack, and only a few stones are scattered around. (P)(V)(rp-2004)
Go south to Reidsburg on PA68. Turn left on Timber Ridge Road and left again on Reidsburg Road (SR2003). Go 1.5 miles and park off the road where a mound is to your left and a house on a hill to the right. (9210 E. Reidsburg Road). Seek permission from the owners, the Landfried's, to enter their property on the north side of the road behind and below the mound. A few loose furnace stones lie about 30 feet below the road toward the creek. We did not discover the arch mentioned by S&T because of the thick underbrush, but a nicely mowed area led down to where the furnace stones were. GPS coordinates . 41º 9.009'N - 79º 22.487'W.(rp-2004) -

Loose furnace stones scattered about below proale charging bench site
Monroe Furnace - November 2004

Monroe Furnace Special Sources:
A Guide to the Old Stone Blast Furnaces of Western Pennsylvania, Myron B. Sharp and William H. Thomas (s&t)
Caldwell's Illustrated Historical Combination Atlas of Clarion Co. Pa. J. A. Caldwell(jac) 1877*
History of Clarion County, unknown compiler, cir 1976 (hcc)*
History of Clarion County A. J. Davis (ajd) ed. 1887*
Unspecified Clarion Co. Sources from asterisk list above.(unk)
Deborah Landfried, Clarion, PA
Copyright © Richard Parks, January 18 , 2010