2026-04-30T03:49:30-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories https://shenandoahstories.org 2016-06-03T16:45:11-04:00 2018-12-18T12:13:39-05:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/97 Shenandoah County Library Columbia Furnace Stables are one of the original buildings associated with that industrial complex. Though the exact date when they were built is unrecorded, architectural evidence and oral history indicates they may been built not long after the furnace was founded in 1808. Since the iron furnaces relied on wagons and strong horses to transport raw materials to the furnace and pig iron to market, they would have needed an expansive stable facility to house, raise, and care for the animals they depended on. The extensive size of this structure and the permanence of its stone construction is not unusual. During the Civil War this building and the nearby superintendent’s house were one of only a few furnace buildings not destroyed by Union troops. It remained a part of the iron making complex until it closed in 1886. Since then the building has been used in a multitude of ways. At various times apartments, a beauty parlor, and a pool room have been housed here. Sometime in the 1920s or 1930s a service station, designed in a similar fashion, was constructed in front and the site welcomed visitors. Today, its used for limited commercial and residential purposes. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-06-03T11:01:58-04:00 2021-08-13T11:50:46-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/88 Shenandoah County Library In the spring 1934 a serious fire destroyed a large portion of the Columbia Furnace School which dated to 1911. The Shenandoah County School Board made the decision to replace the damaged structure with an entirely new building. This school house was built using Federal funds provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and opened in September of 1934. The single story, brick building with cinder block basement, housed grades 1-7. Though a High School had been operated at the previous school, school leaders decided to eliminate the program in the new school. Students wishing to attend upper grades were bused to Edinburg. The Columbia Furnace community provided a great deal of support to the school and students. Soon after it opened, the school board granted the Ladies Aid Society permission to hold socials in the building and to provide hot lunches to students one day a week. This organization, and others, held regular events in the school to support community projects and the local churches. In the 1940s the local PTA raised funds to install the school’s first playground. A major flood struck the area in 1936. Though water came within four feet of the school, it remained dry. Students were unable to return home and remained in the building overnight. The women of the Aid Society remained behind to provide dinner and students slept on desks. The next morning the teachers, Julia Clem, Eddie Williams, Clara Whetzel, and John Will, were able to lead the student’s home after flood waters had receded. In July of 1965 the School Board closed Columbia Furnace as school’s consolidated. Problems with the school’s water supply and other issues also contributed to the decision. The student population, which had increased dramatically after the closing of other local schools, was bused to Edinburg. The building was sold in 1967 and became apartments. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-06-03T10:43:09-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/87 Shenandoah County Library Columbia Furnace was most likely established during the first decade of the 19th century. The community sprang up after George Mayberry & Company, working with the Pennybackers, located an iron deposit nearby and began a mining and smelting operation. Power was supplied by the nearby Stony Creek and raw materials, including lumber, were obtained from nearby untapped mountain areas. In 1808 the site was sold to John Arthur & Co. By 1830 their operations had dramatically expanded. A village of over 200 workers, complete with post office and stores, had emerged. The 1860 census noted Columbia was the county’s most productive furnace. Records indicate that in that year it consumed 3,304 tons of ore, 280,000 bushels of charcoal coal, and 340 tons of lime. These materials helped the furnace produce 1,365 tons of pig iron valued at $30,098 (approximately $880,000 today). During the Civil War, Columbia Furnace was destroyed by forces on both sides and minor conflicts that occurred during the area. While an 1864 may does show the Furnace, an adjacent hotel, rows of houses, and a church, we do know operations there had ceased. After the conflict the Furnace reopened under the direction of the Whissler family who also operated Liberty Furnace. In 1881, a race riot occurred at the site. White residents, angry at the management’s decision to employ African Americans, formed an armed and stormed both furnaces. In the process several black employees were injured. Local militia units arrived later and were able to drive the men from the furnaces, but they were unable to disperse the rioters who took refuge in the woods. To prevent further violence, the furnace management agreed to fire all African Americans if the mob agreed to disband. The compromise was accepted, and the incident ended. This decision eliminated a major economic opportunity for the local black population, who had worked in the furnaces since before the Civil War. The racial tensions that followed, and the local paper’s support of the decision to eliminate the African American workforce, led many blacks to leave the county over the next several decades and the eventual decline in their communities. Columbia Furnace continued to operate after this incident. In 1884 it was sold to the Philadelphia-based Columbia and Liberty Iron Company, which operated a store and mill in the village. However, they chose to close the furnace in 1886 as the iron deposits began to give out. While the village continued to serve as a local service and trade center, its days of economic prosperity were over. By 1917 the population had dropped to 70. Over time this number fell even more as the local motel, post office, school, and several stores closed. Today, only a few individuals and a single store remain. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-06-02T17:23:50-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/86 Shenandoah County Library Around 1803, the Pennybacker family constructed Columbia Furnace along Stoney Creek west of Edinburg. Additional lands were added in 1808 and the company was sold to John Arthur & Co. It was later owned by the Newman family, who operated it during the Civil War. That conflict saw the destruction of the furnace by Union forces. According to the historic site survey conducted in Shenandoah County, the superintendent’s house was the only building spared. This two story structure, built in the 1820s was altered by additions in the early 1900s. It is probably the oldest house in Columbia Furnace. After the war, the iron furnace was reopened by the Whissen family, who also operated Liberty Furnace. The company they organized was called the Columbia-Liberty Iron Company. It became the target of a race riot in January of 1880. The company had recently hired several African-American employees. In response, a group of armed white residents attacked both furnaces and drove away the owners. The militia responded and drove the rioters into the woods but was unable to fully disperse them. To prevent further troubles, the Whissens agreed to fire all black workers if the rioters returned home. They agreed, and the African American presence in the iron furnaces, dating from before the Civil War when slaves were employed there, ended. Local newspapers wrote there was a need to evict black labor was strong because of the tendency to cause problems. In 1884 the Whissens sold Columbia and Liberty Furnaces to a group of investors from Philadelphia. Two years later, the company went into receivership and the furnaces were closed. While Liberty later reopened, Columbia would remain shuttered for good. Soon after the land, including the superintendents house, was sold in small plots to the public. Since then, this site has been a private residence. For more (including 3 images), view the original article.