| Hampton Furnace Wharton State Forest |
| Information on the Hampton Furnace is very scarce, but from what I can tell the furnace was opened in roughly 1795 and was in operation until about 1850. As other forms of producing Iron and later steel was becoming more cost effective. The Hampton Furnace smelted Bog Iron found in near by swamps and bogs. Bog Iron is carried to the surface in a solution form and deposits in waterways as it oxidizes when in contact with oxygen. This site may have also produced cannonballs and shot for the War of 1812. I also believe that nails were also among one of the products produced there, as you can find various nails of different size and shapes in and around the furnace site. Slag which is a byproduct of the smelting process can also be found in large amounts in and around the site. |
