101 IRON FURNACE TRAIL KICKOFF SET OCT. 14 AT CUMBERLAND FURNACE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 3, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947


(CUMBERLAND FURNACE, Tenn.)—The Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail, which includes resources from the historic 19th century iron industry in 12 counties along the Western Highland Rim, will have its official launch as part of the Cumberland Furnace Historic Village Fall Festival beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in Dickson County on Highway 48, just north of Charlotte.
Visitors interested in the history and location of places associated with the iron industry, from Stewart to Decatur counties, are invited to pick up a new guidebook and view a 15-minute video that introduces the history and some of the people and places along the state’s Iron Furnace Trail.
“These include ironmaster Montgomery Bell’s 1818 tunnel at Narrows of Harpeth State Park, the 1873 Bear Spring Furnace in Stewart County, and Cedar Grove Furnace in Perry County,” said Caneta Hankins, assistant director of the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) at MTSU.
Other sites listed in the guide include the Brownsport Furnace in Decatur County; Sugar Creek (or Lee & Gould) Furnace in Hickman County; the Pinkney Area of Iron City in Lawrence County; Buffalo/Steele Ironworks and Napier Mines along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Lewis County; the remains of Louisa and Tennessee Furnaces in Montgomery County; the site of the Wayne Furnace in Wayne County; and Williamson Furnace in Williamson County as well as the limestone kilns in Houston County.
“Cumberland Furnace, located in Dickson County and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only existing iron village remaining in Tennessee,” Hankins observed. “Its history parallels that of the entire iron industry in the state from the late 1700s until the mid-20th century.
“Here,” she added, “the visitor can begin to visualize the layout of the large iron plantations that covered acres of land and were integrated villages that operated round the clock. On these plantations, men, women, children, free and enslaved blacks, as well as Irish, Scots, German and other races worked at various jobs.”
Additionally, Hankins explained, “The African-American population before and after the Civil War was an integral part of the iron industry. (And) Promise Land community in Dickson County continues to keep the history and stories of their ancestors through the Promise Land Association.”
Hankins said that each of the counties participating in the Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail will receive copies of the guidebook and DVD, which will be placed in public and school libraries and available for distribution to interested individuals. Also, beginning Oct 16, a Web site for the Iron Furnace Trail will be online and available by accessing http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres.
“In addition to educating residents and visitors about this nearly forgotten chapter of Tennessee history,” Hankins said, “the purpose of this project is to provide information and tools for the participating counties to use as a part of their individual and regional heritage development plans.”
The guidebook, video and Web site are productions of the Center for Historic Preservation and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area at MTSU, in cooperation with Buffalo Duck Rivers and Five Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Councils, with partial funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
To request a copy of the guidebook, please contact the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at histpres@mtsu.edu.
• For more information about the Oct. 14 festival, which will include arts/crafts and other events and activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as a barbecue lunch, contact the Cumberland Furnace Historic Village Association at 615-789-4869.



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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or obtain jpeg images of furnaces on the trail for editorial use, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.