Hope Iron Furnance

Hope Iron Furnance paranormal

Photo by: Marianne Donley
Location submitted by: sdonley on 07/28/2019
DBA Approved: Y

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PANICd#: 2064

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The Hope Furnace is a historic blast furnace in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio.

OH-278
New Plymouth , OH 45654
Open to the public: Yes

Lat: 39.388040
Lon: -82.304770

Database Summary:

Demographic Rank: 4
History: 1
Stories: 1
Claims: 2
Evidence: 0
Resources: 8
Retrievals: 11416
Vistor Rating: 1.0
Votes: 1

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History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.

The Hope Furnace is a historic blast furnace in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located along State Route 278, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of the village of Zaleski, it is one of two extant iron furnaces in Vinton County. Between 1854 and 1874, the furnace was used to smelt iron ore, using coal or charcoal for fuel. It is a rectangular structure, built of sandstone and shaped like a truncated pyramid.

Like many other iron furnaces in southeastern Ohio, Hope Furnace was surrounded by a community of at least three hundred residents at its height. The production of iron and the supply of the materials required for iron smelting required a large number of workers, and during a furnace's years of operation, it was the center of a temporary community. No buildings from the community remain to the present day: when the furnace closed, the workers dispersed, and the buildings collapsed or were demolished. Although the buildings are gone, many artifacts still remain in the soil surrounding the furnace; most significant are the many pieces of slag that litter the ground.

oday, Hope Furnace is part of Lake Hope State Park. Because of its importance in local history, the furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was the second place in Vinton County to be added to the Register, being preceded only by the Ponn Humpback Covered Bridge.

Added by: sdonley on 07/28/2019 DB#:431
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Furnace

Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.

Regarding the fateful night in question, there are several versions of what actually happened. One version says that the night was particularly rainy and stormy. The watchman, while walking along the platform with his lantern, slipped in the darkness and fell into the bubbling ore inside the furnace. Another version has the man being frightened by a bolt of lightning, causing him to fall. But perhaps the best-known version of the story, and the most romanticized, has the worker battling his way through a fierce storm in order to make his rounds. The watchman refused to be kept from his rounds and wouldn't wait for the impending storm to pass over. As he made his rounds, lightning flashed around him, creeping closer with each strike. As the story goes, the watchman was finally struck by a bolt of lightning and then fell into the furnace. While it is impossible to determine if the man was killed by the bolt of lightning or the ensuing fall, all concerned agree that not even death has been able to keep this watchman from making his rounds.

It is said that on particularly stormy nights, the ghostly watchman returns to make his rounds. There have been dozens of reports of a dark figure carrying a lantern walking along the top of Lake Hope Furnace. Some have said that the figure continues pacing back and forth across the furnace until lightning strikes close by, which causes the figure to disappear... until the next stormy night.

Added by: sdonley on 07/28/2019 DB#:1434
Source(s):
https://www.ghostsofohio.org/lore/ohio_lore_38.htm...

Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.

Wikipedia Entry Added: 07/28/2019 By: sdonley	Wikipedia entry for this location.
Trip Advisor Added: 07/28/2019 By: sdonley	Trip Advisor Information.
Hope Iron Furnace Added: 07/28/2019 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.
Lake Hope Furnace Added: 07/29/2019 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.
Hope Furnace Added: 07/29/2019 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.
Hope Iron Furnace photograph Added: 07/29/2019 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.
Lake Hope State Park Added: 07/29/2019 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.
Ohio Exploration Society Added: 07/29/2019 By: sdonley	This website contains some EVPs that were recorded at this location.

Hope Iron Furnance

Database Summary:

History

Stories

Paranormal Claims

Paranormal Evidence

CLAIM #: 2891 - Investigators have recorded EVPs around the area of the furnace.

Additional Resources

Location Comments

Claim #	Added	Added By	Claim
2890	07/29/2019	sdonley	The apparition of a night watchman carrying a lantern has been reported being seen during storms.
2891	07/29/2019	sdonley	Investigators have recorded EVPs around the area of the furnace.

CLAIM #: 2891 - Investigators have recorded EVPs around the area of the furnace.
	Evidence Type: Log or Text Encounter Type: EVP Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Ohio Exploration Society EVPs Submitted By: sdonley On: 07/29/2019 DBA Approved: Y