Catoctin Furnace is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
located on
Route 15 between
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
and
Thurmont in the northern part of
Frederick County,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, United States.
It is the site of the
Catoctin Furnace Historic District.
History
Catoctin Furnace
Catoctin Furnace (also known as Catoctin Iron Furnace) is an historic Blast furnace, iron forge located on U.S. Route 15 in Maryland, Route 15 between Frederick, Maryland, Frederick and Thurmont, Maryland, Thurmont in Catoctin Furnace, Marylan ...
(also known as Catoctin Iron Furnace) was constructed in 1774 by four brothers
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
, Baker, Roger and James Johnson to produce
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...
from locally mined
hematite
Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...
. The village of Catoctin Furnace grew in the land around the iron furnace. Furnace workers lived in company-owned stone and log houses. During its most prosperous time, the village of Catoctin Furnace boasted three furnaces, a sawmill, a gristmill, a school, and eighty houses for workers all situated on 11,350 acres.
By 1903, operating a small iron furnace complex was nearly impossible due to technological advances as well as environmental restraints, and the furnace was shut down. After the furnace went out of business, many people from the community were forced to seek employment outside the tiny village. In 1923, the property again changed hands, and the families residing in the formerly company-owned houses were given the opportunity to purchase their own homes.
References
External links
catoctinfurnace.org Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. website
Unincorporated communities in Frederick County, Maryland
Unincorporated communities in Maryland
{{FrederickCountyMD-geo-stub