"Some of the circumstances connected with the origin and management of Jefferson should be preserved in history."

The Jefferson Furnace Company was founded by a group of roughly 30 Welshmen. As well as being the men responsible for the construction, John D. Davis was the founder and Thomas T. Jones was the Financial Agent of the company. It was determined that the operation shall cease on Sundays and Thanksgiving, a rule that was always obeyed.

Most of Jefferson's shares were paid for in land, with a small balance paid in cash. An acre of land was equivalent to $20 back then. Forty acres of land and $20 would get you a $500 share. Jefferson had an original capital of $60,000. In 1856, several of the original shareholders immigrated to the United States and forced the company to buy their holdings. David Edwards was then chosen as Trustee of the company and all of the land was deeded to him.

The iron furnaces in Ohio were booming during the Civil War. Iron from this furnace was used to construct the Union Ironclad U.S.S. Monitor. That legendary battle ship was the first to have a revolving turret. It sank in 1862 after taking on water during a severe storm. It was recovered from the bottom of the ocean as is undergoing a restoration.

Jefferson was the last operating iron furnace in Ohio. The final cast was poured on a cold winter day in December, 1916. This brought an end to the era that helped southern Ohio prosper and grow.