Logo Cooper's Furnace
aka The River Furnace		 All Text & Images:
Copyright (2013)

Mark Cooper was a politician and an early organizer of the W&A RR.   He bought a half interest in Moses & Jacob Stroup's Etowah
Furnace and Bloomary on Stamp Creek in 1843.   Cooper and Stroup planned a move to the Etowah River to be closer to the railroad,
timberland and iron ore.   The Etowah Manufacturing & Mining Company was organized there in 1845, and established a rolling mill,
blast furnace and foundry, flour mill, a nail factory, and corn and saw mills along the river.   This soon grew into the town of Etowah.
At the time, this furnace was known as the "River Furnace", distinguishing it from the original Etowah Furnace(s) on Stamp Creek.
Cooper bought out Stroup's interest, and partnered with Leroy Wiley;   he later bought Wiley's interest and became sole proprietor.
The property changed hands several times in 1862, and was conveyed to the Confederate States of America in 1863.   Ordnance
and a few cannon were made for the government before Etowah was totally destroyed by the Union army in May 1864.


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Cooper_Furnace_Historical



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South-facing facade
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South Arch
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Each of the three arch openings is now gated.
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Growth between the stones
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East-facing facade
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East arch
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View of furnace interior and stack
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Interior of North-side arch
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Section of North wall
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North-west corner
Road_wall
Behind the furnace, a stone wall supports the old road.
Butterfly_pea
Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum) blooming in the woods...
Leaf_footed_bugs
Spotted a couple of HUGE Leaf-footed Bugs (family Coreidae)...
Road_support_wall
Downstream from the furnace, this wall supports the old rail bed.
A selection of historical photos of Cooper's furnace:
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Old postcard, date unknown
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Another old postcard - note the old auto parked in the arch!
Old_Coopers_Furnace_photo
Date unknown
National_Geographic-Coopers_Furnace
National Geographic Magazine, April 19, 1930
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1930s
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Another from the 1930s
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Walter Hendrix, Walter Cooper, Beverly DuBose - 1937
Coopers_Furnace-old_photo
June 1961
Historical Photo Credits include:
Wilbur G. Kurtz, Sr. collection, VIS 197, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center;
Historic Postcard Collection, RG 48-2-5, Georgia Archives; National Geographic Magazine;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; James G. Bogle
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All Text & Images: Copyright 2013.