Adventure: Center Furnace

Before Western Pa became the world's Steel Valley, it was a mass source of iron. In the 1800's, tall stone furnaces dotted the mountains and ravines creating an industry that hardened the wilderness of the region.

Connellsville and its hard working neighbor Dunbar-- small towns today-- once thrived on many industries, including iron furnace yields. And at the center of it all, the Center Furnace.

Just up Dunbar Creek from the blue collar town of the same name, Center Furnace was a thriving business when it was constructed in 1815. While it employed men by the dozens and retained a busy output daily, today, much like the other iron furnaces in the state, it stands, just barely, in complete ruins and shrouded in the encroaching wilderness. Its total seclusion makes it a hidden gem in the Dunbar Mountain area of the Laurel Highlands, so of course I had to track it down, eh?

 This hike begins along Dunbar Creek at the bottom of the mountain, as per directions provided by the one and only Quest Master. And thanks to ol' QM, I was able to check out this super old graveyard tucked in the weeds... one of the few signs that there really was civilization here once.

As the trail dissipated it became easier to just hop through the creek, which was significantly dried up in the summer heat. Dunbar Creek was pretty rugged through this stretch, but the scenery was great.

As I approached the area of the furnace further upstream, I went into a tiny mine in an outcropping where they used to dig out the ore for iron production. I didn't have enough light to really look inside the mine, but as far as I could figure by stumbling through the dark it didn't go very far anyway.

And finally, just down from the outcropping, I reached the coup de grace... the slumping remains of the century old Center Furnace. Think about it; this thing hasn't even been in use for nearly 100 years, it' s sitting at the bottom of a rugged mountain valley, and it's still in this good of shape. They just don't build shit like this any more.

Impressive, no? But not impressive enough for me to continue making this entry haha. There was literally thousands of these iron furnaces through the state and the one's remaining are fairly rare, and yet they each have their own sort of character. Perhaps it's just the setting, which, in the case of Center Furnace, is nothing short of incredible.

Tally-ho!
-Crash