A booming iron industry existed across the Shenandoah Valley for more than two centuries – and lasted until early in the 1900s. Norman Scott, local author and iron sleuth, will speak to the Augusta County Historical Society Spring Meeting 3 pm April 10 on the creation, growth, impact and demise of the iron industry that played a major role in the area’s history.
Scott, a retired educator, has just published River of Iron: A History of Mining, Smelting and Transporting Iron in the Virginia Counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Botetourt, and Rockbridge, his second book on Virginia and its iron industry. The well-received book provides great detail on the construction and operation of area iron furnaces, and lists details on almost 60 furnaces and twice as many iron mines across the Valley area.
The iron presentation will be presented at the Spring Meeting of the ACHS to be held at the Augusta County Government Center. It will be free and open to the public. Scott will have his book available for purchase and signing.
As a native of the Clifton Forge area, Scott grew up with a fascination for the old iron furnace ruins that marked that area. His interest led him to research the furnaces, how they worked and the iron mines that fed them. He received a degree in history from Virginia Tech and, after working in instructional communication positions, returned to Tech for his doctorate in vocational & technical education. He retired in 2004 as president of Rappahannock Community College and, in 2009, retired to Verona.
Scott notes that the iron industry began to emerge in Virginia in the 1700s but became more significant in the early 1800s as transportation and technology improved. He said the Civil War gave a boost to the industry with its demand for iron plating, cannons, and other military equipment.
Virginia’s iron industry was largely owned by northern firms at the end of the 1800s, companies more focused on larger and more efficient operations in Pennsylvania and other states, and Virginia’s iron industry withered. The last Virginia iron furnace closed in 1929.
The ACHS was founded in 1964 to study, collect, preserve, publish, educate about, and promote the history of Augusta County and its communities. More information is available online at www.augustacountyhs.org.
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