{"nrhp_refnum":"91001142","name":"Ross Furnace","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"SW of Tubmill Reservoir off PA 711, Fairfield Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Fairfield","county":"Westmoreland County","state":"PA","lat":40.325980593000054,"lon":-79.09020555299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone charcoal-era iron furnace stack located south of New Florence in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on Tubmill Creek. The first furnace on the site was built in 1815, and the extant stack was constructed in 1842.","why_significant":"The furnace is argued to be significant under Criterion A for industry, as representative of the charcoal iron furnaces in western Pennsylvania that operated long after eastern furnaces were phased out. It is also argued to be significant under Criterion C for engineering, based on the quality of its stonework, including a triangular work arch and a Roman arch at the tuyere.","narrative":"A charcoal-fired iron furnace south of New Florence in Westmoreland County, on Tubmill Creek. The first furnace was built there in 1815 by James Paull, Col. J.D. Mathiot and Isaac Meason Jr. The surviving stone stack dates from 1842 and was built by Paul Meason and Col. Mathiot. The stack is about thirty feet high and twenty-five feet square at its base, with a triangular work arch and a Roman arch for the blast. The furnace produced pig iron, stoves, sugar kettles, pots, ovens and skillets, mostly sold regionally. Its rated capacity was 1100 tons, but it never produced more than 750. It was abandoned around 1850 to 1855, possibly because shipping its products without rail, canal or water routes was costly. It is regarded as significant for its link to the westward spread of the Pennsylvania iron industry, since western charcoal furnaces lasted long after eastern ones had closed. Its stonework is considered an exceptional engineering achievement. Golf course grading has disturbed the surrounding ground, but the stack retains good integrity.","period_of_significance":"1815-1855","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Iron furnace","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Abandoned around 1850-55; top of the stack capped with concrete; surrounding area disturbed by grading for a golf course.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.325851-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/91001142.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001142/cb0851d579-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001142/cb0851d579-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Generic1139","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ross_Furnace.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Generic1139</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ross_Furnace.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994066","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Furnace","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7369341"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/westmoreland-county/ross-furnace-91001142/"}