Old Hughes Furnace -- Lone Star TX
N 32° 55.130 W 094° 42.661
15S E 340007 N 3643587
The restored Hughes pig iron factory furnace, now on display in the publicly-accessible visitor area of Lone Star Steel plant in Lone Star TX, just off US 259.
Waymark Code: WMF961
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/13/2012
Views: 5
The Old Hughes pig iron furnace operated on a farm near the HUGE Lone State Steel Comany plant in the 1850s. At its peak, it produced about a ton of pig iron every day.
Since slavery was legal in Texas in the 1850s, and because iron production was an AWFUL and dangerous job, of course it was done with slave labor. This furnace produced iron that was sold to the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
It is not clear when the furnace ceased production, but since the owner lost so much of his fortune after the Civil War, it is reasonable to assume it stopped being used sometime around 1867.
Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you or your GPS with the iron furnace ruins.