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Ironmaking

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1742

First iron furnace in West Virginia was established by Thomas Mayberry at Bloomery near present Harpers Ferry; the Quaker William Vestal erected Vestal's Bloomery near the Shenandoah River in present Jefferson County; iron industry develops

Other events that happened on or around 1742

1763

John Semple constructed West Virginia's first blast furnace

Other events that happened on or around 1763

1794

The Peter Tarr Furnace was established in present Hancock County, the first iron furnace west of the mountains

Other events that happened on or around 1794

1798

Samuel Hanway established the Fock Forge on Deckers Creek near Morgantown

Other events that happened on or around 1798

1809

Samuel Jackson established Jackson's Ironworks at Ices Ferry

Other events that happened on or around 1809

1832

Capon Iron Works was built by James Sterrett

Other events that happened on or around 1832

1834

Top Mill was established in Wheeling by Pittsburgh ironmasters

Other events that happened on or around 1834

1860

Reported 28 charcoal iron furnaces had been constructed in West Virginia

Other events that happened on or around 1860

1874

Investors erected a coke-fueled blast furnace along the C&O railway

Other events that happened on or around 1874

1882

Welded-steel pipe was first introduced to Wheeling

Other events that happened on or around 1882

1884

The Quinnimont iron furnace was closed

Other events that happened on or around 1884

1890

Congress enacted the McKinley tariff to stimulate the domestic production of tin plate

Other events that happened on or around 1890

1905

Earnest T. Weir purchased the Jackson Iron & Tin Company tin mill at Clarksburg

Other events that happened on or around 1905

1909

The Jackson Iron & Tin Company relocated to Holiday Cove in Hancock County

Other events that happened on or around 1909

1918

Weirton Steel Corporation was formed

Other events that happened on or around 1918

1920

La Belle Ironworks merged with Wheeling Iron and Steel and Whitaker-Glessner Company to form Wheeling Steel Corporation

Other events that happened on or around 1920

1929

Weirton Steel Corporation merged with Michigan Steel of Detroit and M.A. Hanna Steel of Cleveland to form National Steel Corporation

Other events that happened on or around 1929

1968

Wheeling Steel and Pittsburgh Steel merged to form Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation

1982

Weirton workers purchased the plant from National Steel Corporation

Other events that happened on or around 1982

2004

Weirton Steel ceased to be an employee-owned company

Other events that happened on or around 2004


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