AREA HISTORY: Iron Ore, Lower Windsor Township, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ _______________________________________________ History of York County, Pennsylvania. John Gibson, Historical Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886. _______________________________________________ IRON ORE INTERESTS – Page 733 Margaretta Furnace, whose history will be found on page 489 in this work, smelted a great deal of ore, much of which was obtained in the immediate vicinity of the furnace. The banks were opened by the Slaymakers, and later worked by Hahn & Himes. The ores here obtained, were limonite, turgite and iron hydrates generally, and contained 45 per cent of metallic iron. A kind of black ore was at one time obtained, which yielded, it was claimed, 60 per cent metallic iron. Charcoal was used at the furnace for the reduction of these ores, and the heat for steam generation was procured by leading the ignited gases from the tunnel head beneath the boilers. The foundry iron, made at one time, sold at $55 per ton. The Wrightsville Iron Company, and later Skiles & Fry of Lancaster, obtained considerable lump ore on George Keller’s farm two and one-half miles north of East Prospect. The same firm wrought Daniel Leber’s bank near by. John Small’s bank near Margaretta, was opened by Mr. Slaymaker. Lump and wash ore were about equal in production at this bank. John Keller’s bank, northwest of Margaretta, was opened by the owner, and 1,000 tons obtained during the six months it was wrought. James Curran’s bank, one mile south of the furnace, was opened by Eckert & Guilford about 1840, and worked after them in order by George Heindel, John Givens and James Currans. The ore was shelly limonite. Two miles northwest of the furnace is what is known as Barcroft’s bank, opened by Henry Y. Slaymaker, in 1840, and later leased to Mr. Eagle of Marietta. The ore obtained was of plate-like structure, hard, flinty and tenacious. Most of the ore was lump, lying in deep deposits of clay. Musselman & Watts worked this bank for some time and obtained from it 19,000 tons of ore, which produced 331/3 per cent metallic iron. One mile west of this bank is Barley’s bank, opened about 1867, and worked two years. In all, several hundred thousand tons of ore have been obtained in Lower Windsor since 1830.