The only industry in the Backcountry of South Carolina during the Revolutionary War consisted of 3 blast furnaces used for smelting iron ore and producing pig iron. One furnace was located in present day York County and the other two were located near each other on Lawson’s Fork in Spartanburg County.
Blast furnaces were rather primitive structures that by 18th century standards were the leading edge of technology. The product from these furnaces led to the establishment of blacksmiths, charcoal producers, loggers, wagoners, iron ore collectors, limestone miners, brick and stone masons and all other associated professions contributing to the production of pig iron.
These blast furnaces were all begun in 1776. The most prolific was Hill’s Iron Works located in present day York County and now under the waters of Lake Wylie. In addition to household and agricultural items, Hill’s Iron Works produced swivel guns (small cannons) and cannon balls for Patriot forces. The iron works were destroyed by British Provencial Capt. Christian Huck on July 20, 1780.
The two Lawson’s Creek furnaces were individually built by William Wofford and Joseph Buffington. William Wofford built a fort at his location to provide settler protection during the Cherokee War of 1776. Later, there was a running gun battle at his Iron Works on Aug 8, 1780. Woffords Iron Works was later destroyed by Bloody Bill Cunningham on Nov. 21, 1781.
After 3 years in operation, Joseph Buffington sold 3/4 interest in his furnace to William Henderson. In Feb. 28, 1780 Buffington used this money to buy 550 acres from Col. John and Jane Thomas on Fairforest Creek. After the war Buffington produced pig iron at this new location.
Please note the diagram provided. Blast furnaces were built into the side of a hill. They were 20 or so feet tall and built out of bricks and hand chiseled granite. The interior was lined with quartz for heat resistance.
Charcoal was produced by local homesteaders and charcoal manufacturers. They would dig a pit and line it with hickory logs. The logs would then be set on fire and covered with dirt. The slow burning, non aerobic fire would then smolder, producing hot burning charcoal after a few months time. The charcoal producer would then sell his product or trade it for pig iron.
Iron ore was literally just picked up off the ground. In colonial times it was everywhere. It wasn’t mined, it didn’t need to be. While almost all surface iron ore has now been collected, if you look for iron ore today you can readily note its presence.
Limestone is also readily available in the backcountry. In fact, the mountain chain which includes Kings Mountain was a rich source of both iron ore and limestone. These ancient mountains are said to be 600 million years old, and the erosion of these mountains left behind rich minerals.
To smelt pig iron, charcoal, iron ore and limestone would be dumped by wheel barrows from the hillside into the blast furnace charging hole. Once the fire was set the burning mixture was heated by a large bellows, producing a blast of air further heating the ore. The temperatures would reach 700°.
The bellows would be powered by a water wheel in somewhat the same fashion as a grist mill. Sometimes a mule walking in a circle would power the bellows.
As the charcoal, ore and limestone heated up, the limestone would combine with the impurities in the ore and create slag, which would float to the top. The slag would then be skimmed off.
The heavier iron would sink to the bottom where it was literally allowed to flow into hand dug dirt troughs. The troughs had smaller troughs emanating from the central one. The result appeared to resemble suckling pigs, which is how pig iron got its name.
Most of the information and the diagram contained herein comes from the 2010 article “The Ironworks on Lawson’s Fork” by Jim S. Brooks, produced by the Piedmont Historical Society.
For further information, please reference this article, linked here
https://www.piedmont-historical-society.org/records/pdf/TheIronworksonLawsonsFork.pdf.
Posted to Facebook 3/25/2025