Iron Ore in Our Area

In the mid to late 1800s, it was thought that the Kanawha Valley was rich in Iron Ore.  Several furnaces were started,  including near the mouth of Magazine Hollow,  near the mouth of Davis Creek, and around the Fort Hill area just to name a few.  Bigley Ave is named for J. Bigley, who came here to mine iron ore from Magazine Hollow.  Most of the companies disbanded before going into full production,  while a couple tried and failed.  The reason was that they discovered that ore here was not of the best quality and the cost of smelting it was too expensive.  Better ores were discovered in other states like Ohio for instance.  There is one place where the remnants of an iron ore facility still stands.  It's near the Northbound exit ramp of Corridor G, not far from the Southside Expressway.

HERE ARE THE FERRY BRANCH IRON ORE OVENS.

This shows how close to the Corridor G ramp in Charleston the ovens are located.

*The mouth of Davis Creek was known as Spring Hill back in the day.

*The first article above was written some years before a second try was made at that location.

* The second article is the Ferry Branch site.

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