A few miles southeast of Dover, Tennessee, the home of Fort Donelson Battlefield, Highway 49 rounds a corner and brings travelers face to face with a larger than life stone structure engraved with elaborate calligraphy, known as the Bear Spring Furnace.
Built around 1832 by Woods, Yeatman & Co. as part of the Cumberland Iron Works, Bear Spring Furnace was an important producer of charcoal iron. Cold blast furnaces such as these were kept in operation around the clock, turning local brown hematite ore into molten metal. In 1850 alone, Bear Spring was responsible for the production of over 2,000 tons of metal. At the time, the furnace would have been an integral part of the local industrial economy.
Though iron output for this area of the state peaked in 1856, it is said that Union troops destroyed the furnace during the Civil War. The new stack, built in 1873, still stands today. It remained in operation until the early 20th century, not going out of business until 1928. This new stack is engraved with the names of the architect who built the stone structure, written out in elaborate font. They even went ahead and engraved a bear into the stone in honor of the area. These decorative etchings give the abandoned forge a bit of flare that other old ruins lack.
Once the site of a rail line and a bustling community, the stack and adjacent support pillar are now all that remain, but the stark loveliness of the old furnace still offers a terrific sight to see, even if it no longer provides any charcoal.