PAFAYETT-L Archives

Archiver > PAFAYETT > 2000-03 > 0952192794


From: marta burns <>
Subject: [Pafayett-L] more iron industries, p 568 Ellis
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 09:59:54 -0800


About the year 1789 John Hayden dug out what he supposed was limestone
from the creek bed ofa tributary to Georges Creek in Georges township.
The location was said to have been on the line with divided the
properties of the late F H Oliphant and Rev Isaac Wynn. He attempted to
burn his supposed limestone, but found it would not work; taking some of
it he went to an old blacksmith shop which stood at the corner of an
orchard on the property of Richard Reed, bough by the Leathermans in
1799, and at present in the possession of Mr Joel Leatherman.
Here he soon discovered that the supposed limestone was iron ore of the
best quality. After making his discovery, Mr Hayden hurried off to
Philadelphia to see if he could there interest some wealthy person or
persons in teh manufacture of iron. We find that he was successful in his
efforts for in 1792, March 31st, he entered into partnership with John
Nicholson, state comptroller, under articles of agreement by which a
forge and a furnace were to be built and put in operation on land which
had been purchased by Hayden, and on other lands in Georges township to
be purchased of Joseph Huston, then sheriff of Fayette county. The result
of this agreement, the completion of Hayden's forge, but failure to
finished the contemplated furnace will be found more fully mentioned in
another part of this work, in the account of iron and iron works in the
county, as will also be found separate menton of the old "Fairfield," the
"Mary Ann," the "Fairchance," and Oliphant's Furnace Iron Works, which
were erected at different periods in Georges township.


________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tag

This thread: