Iron Furnace

Southern Ohio and Northeastern Kentucky were the sites of the first major expansion of iron manufacturing in the United States due to the discovery of iron ore there. The furnaces were built and operated for the purpose of extracting iron from the iron ores. The objective was to form bars of cold cast iron for transfer to a foundry for later remanufacture. These were made in molds pressed in the dry sandy floor. A main trench directed the molten iron to a distribution trench from which many side branches were formed. The molten iron was cast into bars called "pigs" ...hence,  the name "pig iron." The Hanging Rock Iron Region has the honor of being the site of the first major expansion of iron manufacturing in the United States. This was due to the discovery of iron ore in that region in the early 1800s.

This is copperhead country and these furnaces are the kind of places you'll find them.