The Scranton iron Furnaces

Apparently, what put Scranton on the map, was the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company. And the heart of the company were the blast furnaces. The first was built in 1841 and the fifth and final one was finished in 1855. This is all that’s left of a huge complex that sprawled all over the area and employed thousands of workers.

The Scranton Iron Furnaces beside Roaring Brook

Once a furnace was fired up, it ran continuously for the next 10 - 12 months. Coal, iron ore and limestone were loaded from the top in layers, and iron was pulled out the bottom every 12 hours. When the furnace was finally allowed to go out, they would repair and reline the interior and then fire it back up again.

Inside one of the furnaces

In 1902 the plant moved closer to the mines in New York that supplied the raw materials, leaving who knows what horrible mess they left behind.