Union Furnace is named for a charcoal blast furnace first built on the site in 1826 by James Rodgers, John Means, John Sparks, and Valentine Fear; it began operation in 1827 under the company Rodgers & Co.[3]
This furnace was notable as the first charcoal blast furnace in Ohio’s Hanging Rock Iron Region, pioneering industrial activity in the area.[4]
By the 1840s, operations were reorganized under Hamilton & Co. and later Hamilton-Peebles & Co. The furnace produced up to 2.5 tons of iron per day (a strong output for the era) and even experimented with not operating on Sundays, a practice adopted between December 20, 1844, and January 6, 1847.[5]
Ownership shifted over time until John Garrett took over in 1858, at which point the furnace and the surrounding settlement officially became known as Union Furnace.
A post office has operated at the community since 1873, solidifying Union Furnace's identity as a permanent settlement.[6][7]
