SHARPSVILLE — Although there are no blast furnaces or foundries left, the steel industry was once a major reason why Sharpsville came to exist at all — with the first blast furnace preceding the borough itself.
According to information from the Sharpsville Area Historical Society, the land that is now Sharpsville was originally settled in 1812 by Jonathan Dunham, a hunter and farmer.
Dunham and his wife Mary had 13 children, with many Dunhams still living in the area today.
Dunham sold his land to Hugh Means, who sold it to his son-in-law, James Sharp.
Soon after Sharp purchased the land, or in 1836, surveys began for the building of the Erie Extension Canal. Due to this proposed canal, Sharp laid out lots for a new town to be called “Sharpsburg.”
The town was later renamed Sharpsville since another town was already known as “Sharpsburg.”
Despite the canal’s construction, the town did not grow as Sharp hoped, with only two out of 44 lots sold. Sharp eventually sold out in 1846 due to debt.
However, that was the same year the first blast furnace was built, the information states.
Because of that first and subsequent furnaces, the town did grow and was eventually incorporated as a borough on May 21, 1874 — hence Sharpsville’s 150th anniversary in 2024.
Early blast furnaces needed three things — a bed of ore near the furnace site; timberland to manufacture charcoal, which was used as the chief fuel in smelting ore; and water power to furnish a blast of air.
Sharpsville was a logical spot for a blast furnace, due to being located on the banks of the Shenango River, having sufficient timberland nearby, and being located near the carbonate iron ore deposits of Western Pennsylvania.
It was later found that the area around Sharpsville had an abundance of rich block or splint coal, called Mercer Block Coal. This mixture of coal and slate was considered “the most valuable coal in the United States” and was the “foundations of the iron and steel industry in Mercer County,” the information states.
The first furnace was built in Sharpsville in 1846 and originally called the Blanche Furnace, built by the firm of Vincent, Howard and Company, in collaboration with Joseph and John McClure.
With Joseph as its manager, the Blanche Furnace began to put out an average of 1,000 tons of iron a year through the work of its 15 employees.
However, a short while later the furnace proved to be unprofitable and operations were suspended until 1853, when it was sold to David and John P. Agnew.
After the furnace was sold to the Agnews, it was renamed Sharpsville Furnace and operated for about two years.
It was then sold to Gen. James B. Pierce, who received it in a payment of coal debt. Through Pierce’s efforts and wealth, the furnace was refitted with new machinery and experimentation, allowing the furnace to reopen in 1859.
Through the work of Pierce and the Agnew brothers, the industry of Sharpsville and contemporary establishments in other parts of the Shenango and Mahoning valleys were revived.
The Pierce family also helped establish a railroad connection, bank, newspaper and other key buildings in town.
Pierce thus “did more to build up the town than any other man.” It is also through Pierce and his descendants that many of the other blast furnaces grew up, since his family was involved in seven out of the nine original blast furnaces, the information states.
The number of furnaces continued to fluctuate over the years, but eventually they all closed, with the last blast furnace, owned by the Shenango Furnace Company, closing in 1968.
The remaining foundries that originally bought the raw iron from local furnaces were able to remain open for some time afterward by purchasing iron from other suppliers.
However, the last foundry, Sharpsville Quality Products, eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2000.
The company was unable to reorganize under employee ownership, and Sharpsville Quality Products was sold in February 2001 to Assad Metals Inc., a Pittsburgh scrap and metals company for $1.05 million, according to a 2003 edition of The Herald.Despite the departure of the local steel industry, a reminder can still be found in the center of Sharpsville — an ingot mold memorial, located in the town park.
The ingot mold was donated to Sharpsville by the Snyder Group Inc. and placed at its current location on Nov. 23, 2001. The mold was later repainted with Shenango Furnace colors.
