"Give er fire." This cry ran through the woods as colliers tended huge piles of charring wood, which would be used as fuel at Fitchburg Furnace. Colliers, men who made charcoal, built many coal pits or hearths throughout the mountains during the summer months. A master collier and one or two helpers might work seven to nine pits at a time. Once fired, they had to be tended day and night so that the wood would not ignite and burn completely away. The trees marked with orange bands contain about three cords of wood, which makes enough charcoal to fire the furnace for two hours, long enough to produce about one cubic foot of pig iron. During the summer the furnace ran continuously requiring 30-40 cords of wood from 25-30 year old growth per day. Some furnaces consumed the yield of an acre of woodland a day. Clearcutting went on year-round to provide enough wood for the charring season.

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Fitchburg Furnace
Fitchburg Furnace
Fitchburg Furnace
Fitchburg Furnace
Estill Springs
Estill Seminary / Collegiate Institute
County Named, 1808
Irvine
Battle of Irvine
Lookout Mountain Hero

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