Nash Iron Works
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First iron furnace in Texas. Built by Jefferson S. Nash, who came here in 1846. He found much iron ore, wood for charcoal, and clay to make molds. From ridge back of the furnace, charcoal and ore were poured down the smokestack. Under the furnace grate, melted iron collected in a puddle, to be put into molds for shaping farm tools, cooking pots, smoothing irons, and-- in the Civil War-- cannon balls and possibly guns. Nash had difficulty securing machinery, workers, capital, and transportation. In the 1800s, at least 16 iron works operated in East Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built by Jefferson S. Nash after he arrived in 1846, this was the first iron furnace in Texas, exploiting the region's abundant ore, hardwood for charcoal, and molding clay. Workers poured charcoal and ore down the stack from a ridge behind the furnace, then cast the molten iron into farm tools, cooking pots, and smoothing irons—and, during the Civil War, cannonballs and possibly firearms. Nash struggled constantly for machinery, labor, capital, and transport, yet his works helped launch an East Texas iron industry that grew to at least sixteen operations.
Why it matters
This furnace marks the birth of iron manufacturing in Texas and the Confederacy's scramble to forge its own war materials when the South's industry was thin.
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Related people
- · Jefferson S. Nash
Themes & tags
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