Washington Iron Furnace

Washington Iron Furnace
Exterior view Washington Iron Furnace
Washington Iron Furnace is located in Virginia
Washington Iron Furnace
Washington Iron Furnace is located in the United States
Washington Iron Furnace
Location108 Old Furnace Rd., Rocky Mount, Virginia
Coordinates36°59′13″N 79°53′31″W / 36.98694°N 79.89194°W / 36.98694; -79.89194
Area9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Builtc. 1770 (1770)
NRHP reference No.73002014[1]
VLR No.157-0029
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 20, 1973
Designated VLROctober 17, 1972[2]

Washington Iron Furnace is an historic iron furnace, located in Rocky Mount, Franklin County, Virginia. The granite furnace was built around 1770, and measures 30 feet high on its south face. It helped establish industry in the county, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[3]

Considered one of the best preserved furnaces in Virginia, it was built against the side of a hill so that iron ore, charcoal and limestone could be transported to the site by wagon along the ridge and dumped into the top of the furnace. The original cart road and ten-yard-long bridge leading to the top no longer exists.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ^ Lee, Anne Carter (September 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Washington Iron Furnace" (PDF). State of Virginia Historic Registers. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2023-12-26. and Accompanying four photos