John Dillon Death of the First Furnace Builder in Ohio.
John Dillon, Esq., one of the oldest and most enterprising citizens of Muskingum county, died at Zanesville, on Aug. 17, 1862, in his 86th year.
Mr. Dillon, in company with his brother, Isaac, built the first blast iron furnace in the State of Ohio – at Dillon’s Falls of Licking, four miles above its mouth at Zanesville. It was long known as “Dillon’s Furnace” and was built in 1808, and was in blast till 1854, or perhaps 1855. It was a “cold blast” furnace and had connected with it a forge, at which, in an early day, bar iron was made, which sold at $200 a ton; also castings, such as sugar kettles, salt kettles, &c., were made at the furnace.
In 1812 the Dillon brothers connected with their Iron Works, a flowering mill and sawmill.
The second iron furnace in Ohio was “Brush Creek Furnace,” Adams County, built-in 1811 by parties from Pittsburg – McNickell and others. This furnace has been out of blast for perhaps a quarter of a century. Gen. Nathaniel Massie built the third iron furnace in Ohio, near his residence at the Falls of Paint, southwest part of Ross County, in 1812, the year before his death. This furnace never did much – made only two short blasts.
Mr. Dillon was born in Fayette county, Pa., and was the son of Moses Dillon, one of the builders of “Union Furnace,” about fifteen miles east of Brownsville, which was the first iron furnace erected west of the mountains. – Marietta Register.
The Highland Weekly News, Hillsboro, Ohio 23 Oct. 1862 p1
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