The history of the Oxford Furnace, one of the first producers of iron ore, might be likened to that of the anchient cities of the distant world of which little was known for centuries until archaeologists unearthed them and revealed their former glory. The charcoal burning furnace here dates back to 1741, archaeology is still underway to discover the many secrets still to be unearthed. Furnace #1 is shown below. This furnace is rich in history and lure. Much documentation is written to describe the life and times of the furnace and its' many generations of workers. This furnace operated almost continuously from 1742 until it was blown out for the last time in 1884. Some of the many furnace products included munitions for: The French And Indian War, The War Of 1812 and the American Revolution. Other products included firebacks to protect the countries first colonial fireplaces, wood burning multi-plate stoves and later railroad train wheels. Also, raw iron, in the form of "pigs", was shipped to nearby forges and via the Delaware River to distant places including Philadelphia, PA. This furnace led the way in technical innovation during the Industrial Revolution; the first forced hot air blast in this country was achieved here. During hot blast, furnace heat lost up the chimney, is recycled to pre-heat the air forced into the burning chamber of the furnace.
Below are some photographs of this historic furnace. The structure on the right is that of an early grist mill erected in 1813 which operated until 1913, when it was converted to the church that is in use today.

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This View Of Furnace Looking South.
The Covered Trestle Was Used For Hauling Raw Materials
Which Were Dumped Into The Furnace From The Top.

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Photograph As The Furnace Looks Today.

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Much of the raw iron ore extracted contained sulphur. When used to make iron, sulphur weakened the iron to the point that it could not be used. Large Kilns were built which used charcoal to burn the undesirable sulphur out of the ore. These Kilns burned at low temperature so as not to melt the iron ore. Typically the iron and charcoal were dumped into the top of the Kiln via an elevated railway; the burned iron was then extracted from the bottom of the Kiln and removed via a second, lower railway.

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Photograph Of An Iron Kiln Under Construction.
This One Was Located Behind Oxford Central School.

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As the Industrial Revolution advanced during the second half of the nineteenth century, the demand for more iron and its' products increased. Oxford supplied this demand by adding a second, more technically advanced furnace, which was completed in 1871. This furnace burned coal instead of charcoal. A more innovative blowing system was added to supply the furnace with the excessive volume of air required. Oxford now became a large industrial town containing not only the furnaces but a rolling mill, nail factory (producing 250,000 kegs of nails annualy), foundry, and stove factory. Oxford furnace now contained a population of 2,200 persons. Poor economic conditions in the country hit Oxford hard. In 1884 furnace #1 was blown out for the last time. Then in 1921 after several ownership changes, furnace #2 was also blown out. However mining continued until 1964 when Washington Mine #2 was closed.

1870's Photograph Of Furnace #2.

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1870's Photograph Of The Nail Factory.

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Since local supermarkets and department stores did not exist until recently, The Company Store owned by the furnace/mine company supplied all necessities the employees required. The photograph below depicts the Oxford Furnace company store.

Photograph Of The Oxford Company Store.
This Photograph Dates About 1894.

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Oxford Furnace's reason for existence was the presence of a rich magnetic iron ore, magnetite, in substantial quantities near the surface. The development of the industry at Oxford was also influenced in significant ways, during its long history, by the character, location, and amounts of ore. Therefore iron mines, the furnace and Oxford go hand-in-hand. Early mines at Oxford consisted of open pit mining. Later as equipment and technology improved sub-surface mining via first horizontal tunnels and more recently vertical shafts to extract the ore. Depth of the shaft was not only limited by hoisting equipment but primarily by the pumps which must continuously operate to keep the workings free from water. Early vertical shafts (1860-1890) were limited to a depth of approximately 250 feet. On the way down to this depth, several tunnels (drifts) eminated from the shaft for hundreds of feet to obtain as much ore as was available. Later (1890-1910) deeper shafts and more extensive drift tunnels extracted more ore. Shafts typically plunged 600-700 feet deep. After this time period an even deeper shaft (approx. 2300 feet) and dozens of miles of tunnels were required to reach the rich ore. The photographs below show some of the mines while operating.

Photograph Of The Washington Mine #1.
This Mine Dropped To Approximately 700 feet.
This View Dates to 1912.

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Photograph Of The Mc Kinley Mine.
This Mine Also Dropped To Approximately 700 feet.
(Photograph Taken Early This Century)

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Buttzville Region

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The Industrial Revolution in the County was not limited only to Oxford Furnace. There were also extensive mining operations and furnaces throughout the area. The photograph below shows the Pequest Furnace in nearby Buttzville, NJ. Associated with this furnace was another local mine: The Pequest Mine.

Photograph Of The Pequest Furnace.
This Furnace Operated From About 1880 to 1910.
This Photograph Dates 1905.

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Another Photograph Of The Pequest Furnace.
This Photograph Dates 1905.

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Belvidere Region

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Photograph Of Belvidere, NJ.
This Image Taken On Greenwich Street Looking
Toward Water Street (Center Of Town)

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Photograph Of Belvidere, NJ.
This Image Shows Another View Of The Center Of Town.

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Photograph Of Belvidere, NJ.
This Image Shows An Early View Of The Court House.

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Washington Region

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Washington, NJ. contained many large manufacturing facilities during the last quarter of the 19th. century well into this century. Many of these facilities made musical instruments. By 1900 Cornish & Company had become the largest producers of organs. Earlier Daniel F. Beatty constructed a factory in the 1870's, and by 1880, it could produce 500 organs a month. Beatty's success led to the establishment of other similar companies, including the Star Parlor Organ Company, H.W. Allegar, and The Cornish works. Cornish also manufactured melodians and radios.

Photograph Of Washington, NJ.
This View Shows The Cornish Factory.

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Photograph Of Washington, NJ.
This Image Shows An Early View Of Main Street.

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Photograph Of Washington, NJ.
This Image Shows Another Early View Of Main Street.

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Photograph Of Washington, NJ.
This Image Shows Another Early View Of Main Street.

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