Granville Furnace

The Granville Furnace was one of two iron producing factories operating in Licking County during the first half of the 19th century. The furnace was primarily planned by Jeremiah R. Munson. Munson, a veteran of the War of 1812 and local business leader, learned that deposits of iron ore and limestone in the immediate Granville area could be used for casting iron. The site for the furnace was near what is now Maple Grove Cemetery in Granville. The Clear Run tributary provided the water for the furnace’s water wheel and a dam was constructed north of present day Newark-Granville Road to allow for sufficient fall in the sluice to carry water to the top of the wheel. The first “tapping” of iron was June 24, 1816. The Ohio Canal was used to transport ore from around Licking County to the furnace. The furnace remained in operation until 1838 when a combination of bad weather and outside competition finally forced the furnace to stop production.

L.K.