Hecla Furnace

Hecla Furnace –Upper Tp. – Hecla Furnace was built on Leatherwood, Lawrence County, Ohio
Built: 1833 By R. B. Hamilton & Mccoy
Daily Ton: 10
Stack: 36 Feet
Blast: Cold Charcoal
Researched by Sharon M. Kouns and Martha J. Martin

Ironton Register, October 28, 1852 – Hecla Furnace – This valuable Furnace, belonging to the estate of the late Henry Blake was sold at Private Sale, a few days ago to John Campbell, C. Briggs, and E. H. Griswold – strong company, which will take possession of the furnace on January 1, 1853.

Gallipolis Journal, 12 Nov. 1874 – Dr. A. Robinson, who has been practicing medicine at Hecla Furnace for some time past, has removed to Arabia, and will there hold forth hereafter. He is a reliable and well-read physician. His brother and himself have purchased Dr. Ellsworth’s drugstore and they will carry that on. Ironton Register

The Jackson Standard, Jackson, Ohio 22 March 1877 – Death of a Pioneer Furnaceman. Mr. W. E. S. McClain, the proprietor of the McClain House, corner of Second and Jefferson streets, died yesterday morning at a quarter to one o clock. Mr. McClain was the son of a sister of the late Judge Salters, and was born at Unionville, Fayette county, Pa., on Sept. 16, 1811. He came to Ohio in 1831, located at Scioto Furnace, and was clerk and manager of the furnace for about four years.

In 1837 he was married to Miss Lucinda Powell, by whom he had four children, three of whom are living. Shortly after his marriage he removed and became the manager of, Hecla Furnace. After one or two years at Hecla, he removed to Wheelersburg, and after a few years, he went to Jackson Furnace, which he managed for four or five years. In the meantime, his first wife died, and on Dec. 20, 1851, he married a widow, Mrs. Nancy Spencer, by whom he had seven children all of whom, with his wife, survive him.

After parting with his interest in Jackson Furnace, he returned to Wheelersburg and kept a grocery store and hotel until April 1875, when he purchased the property known as the White Bear Hotel, corner of Second and Jefferson streets, in this city, which he has managed up to the time of his death. The immediate cause of his death was from lung fever, he having been compelled to take his bed last Saturday night.

He injured himself last December while cleaning a heavy snowfall from his pavement and has been in poor health ever since. The deceased became a member of the M. K Church twenty-five years ago, under the ministration of Rev. S. P. Cummins. His funeral services will be held in the Wheelersburg M. E Church, at 9 o’clock tomorrow, and the remains will be deposited in the family burying ground hard by the village.

Portsmouth Times – We became acquainted with Eli McClain forty-five years ago, when we were a boy, at Scioto Furnace. We have occasionally met him since. When last in Portsmouth, we called to see him. Mr. McClain was a small, spare man, but he possessed a vigorous constitution.

Ironton Register, January 30, 1879 – Hecla Furnace shipped 100 tons of iron the past week; Lawrence shipped 50 tons. We understand there is no cold blast iron in this region except a small lot held by Buckhorn and Hecla.

The Jackson Standard, Jackson, Ohio 10 April 1879 – The coal house at Hecla Furnace, near Ironton, was burned last week. There were 80,000 bushels of coal in the building, but all the furnace hands, and farmers from the country went to work digging and hauling dirt and covering the coal, thus saving most of it. Loss of about $2,000.

Ironton Register, September 3, 1885 – (under Iron News) – Hecla will start in blast next week. She will make 2000 tons in the coming blast.

Ironton Register, January 28, 1886 – Hecla Furnace will blow out on the 6th of February.

 Ironton Register, October 5, 1899 – Advertisement – WANTED – 2 cart mules, 1100 pounds each; 1 medium height mule, 1,000 pounds, for ore drift. HECLA IRON & MINING CO.

Ironton Register, July 10, 1902 – Hecla Furnace, which has been idle for about 2 years and which was recently leased by the newly organized Hecla Charcoal Iron Company, was put in the blast Monday. Mrs. Austin Kelly, daughter of the Manager, Col. E. J. Bird, Jr., has the honor of lighting the fires for what promises to be a long run. The furnace is well stocked and it is expected that the output will be from 25 to 30 tons daily.