Paddle to Shoal Creek Iron Furnace

[Jimmy W]

Thursday afternoon, I paddled to an old iron making furnace on Shoal Creek in Cherokee County Georgia. When Lake Allatoona is full as it is now, you can get to it by canoe. I put in at Knox Bridge Boat Landing off of Hwy 20 between Canton and Cartersville and went up the Etowah River channel about 3 miles to Shoal Creek. Then went up Shoal Creek about another 1.5 miles to the furnace. The furnace was probably built during the civil war, but the war ended by the time that it was finished. It was shut down by the 1880's.

One side has collapsed some.

It has entrances on three sides. This is looking through it.

Looking up from inside.

When operating, there would have been a ramp from this hill to the top of the furnace to feed iron ore, charcoal and limestone into it.
These furnaces ran 24/7 for months at a time and had to be fed about constantly.

There would have been a dam on the creek to supply power to pump air into the furnace. A waterwheel would have worked a large bellows. Part of the mill race for the waterwheel is still there, but I couldn't tell just where the dam would have been. I guess that it was probably between the rock on the left and right here. Sorry about the blurry photo, the sun was starting to go down. It was very dark by the time that I got back to the truck.

This photo is going back down Shoal Creek. This tree would stop any large boats from going up to the furnace.

I saw a Great Egret on the way to the furnace and again going back. That is the first time that I've ever seen one in this part of the state.

 

[Steve]

Nice country, Jimmy. . . Looks like you had yourself a nice paddle. . .

 

[bearridge]

Friend Jimmy W,

Thanks. Know who owned it, how many folks worked it 'er what they made there? How far ta town? Wuz there a road once upon a time? I read some bout the Etowah, but never seen it....that I recall. How far iz this frum the Foxfire school 'n the Dillard House? My north Georgia geography aint too good.....cept round Clayton 'n Dillard.

regards
bearridge

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.  Aristotle

 

[Kayak Jack]

In my experience, Jimmy knows his part of the woods by heart. When we were in the Appalachians, he personally introduced me to over 276 trees and 406 boulders - all by their first names. They all speak highly of him.

 

[Jimmy W]

Bear, this is about 80 miles from Clayton as the crow flies. I don't rightly know how far it would be if Jack was doing the flying, but would likely require at least one nap. This article will answer most of your questions. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f2ec9ceb-faad-4d61-8395-410644d047ef The National Cemetery has been completed and opened since this was written. The cemetery is in a beautiful location.

 

[bearridge]

That geocachin' sounds like the scavenger hunts we used ta have when I wuz a little pardner in Gunnison.....cept fer the high technikle whiz bangs. What give ya the idea ta paddle in next ta that furnace? Reckon yer bound ta write a book on all the secret places in north Georgia ya kin reach in a boat? [wink]

regards
bearridge

A Galileo could no more be elected president of the United States than he could be elected Pope of Rome.  Both high posts are reserved for men favored by God with an extraordinary genius for swathing the bitter facts of life in bandages of self-illusion.  Henry Mencken

 

[Jimmy W]

That geocachin' sounds like the scavenger hunts we used ta have when I wuz a little pardner in Gunnison.....cept fer the high technikle whiz bangs. What give ya the idea ta paddle in next ta that furnace?

My only GPS in the auto one that I use in the truck. I did take it along, but didn't even try to find the cach there. I went up the creek a good way years ago in my jon-boat with an outboard. Back then, I didn't know that the furnace was there. I didn't know for sure if the water would be high enough in the creek to paddle up to the furnace, but decided it was worth a try. I went part of the way up the creek the week before, but it got too dark. This last trip, I put in a bit earlier. The creek water up at the furnace was a lot cooler and clearer than the water in the river channel.

I put in just west of the Hwy 20 bridge over the Etowah. Furnace is at green arrow. Plowed up looking area in upper left is when they were working on the National Cemetery.