Elizabeth Furnace, Historic blast furnace in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Elizabeth Furnace is a stone structure built beside Passage Creek and surrounded by mixed forests within the George Washington National Forest. The site sits in a valley landscape where former industrial buildings and waterworks are still visible among hiking trails and recreation areas.
The furnace was built in the 1830s to produce pig iron using water power from the nearby creek and operated until the late 1800s. Its iron products were transported over mountain routes to supply industrial centers in the region.
The site preserves traces of 19th-century iron production that remain visible in its ruins and structures. Walking through the area shows how this location was central to the region's iron-making industry and shaped the valley's development.
The area is accessible by foot with trails winding through the forest and along the creek. Visitors will find picnic areas, restroom facilities, and camping spaces available for those wanting to spend more time exploring the grounds.
The old route used to transport iron products over mountains now forms part of a hiking trail that connects the furnace to surrounding peaks. Walkers today follow roughly the same mountain passages that workers traveled more than a century ago.
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