Cherry Valley Coke Ovens
Also known as: Cherry Valley Arboretum
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Four parallel rows of 212 beehive coke ovens sit in a park on the northeast edge of Leetonia, Ohio. Each brick oven is twelve feet in diameter, with stone-faced fronts and dirt fill around the structures. Two deep channels between the rows once held railroad tracks, so coke could be raked straight from the ovens into rail cars. The ovens baked coal from local mines into coke for blast furnaces run by the Leetonia Iron & Coal Co., and after 1873 by the Cherry Valley Iron & Coal Co. and its successor. These companies founded Leetonia in 1865 and dominated its economy for decades. The iron companies were dismantled in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and the furnaces and mills were demolished and their sites filled and graded. The coke ovens are the only visible remnant of that industry and are described as the largest known beehive coke oven complex in Ohio. The tracks were removed during World War II, and the channels are now water-filled.
Significance in brief: The ovens are argued to be significant under Criterion A as the only surviving structures tied to the iron industries that founded Leetonia and dominated its economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are described as the largest known beehive coke oven complex in Ohio.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93000404, listed May 6, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Cherry Valley and Butcher Rds., Leetonia |
|---|---|
| County | Columbiana County |
| Listed | May 6, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000404 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1866-c. 1930 |
| Architect / builder | Leetonia Iron & Coal Co.; Cherry Valley Iron & Coal Co. |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now part of a park with a walking track; the channels between the ovens are water-filled and the associated mills and furnaces have been leveled. |
| Acreage | 10.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.88454, -80.75565 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93000404.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5092496
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.