In 1837, a new era of iron production was introduced to the Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio, as-well as the rest of the country. It was here at Vesuvius Furnace that a new method was first tested.

Despite the doubts and opposition of many men, James Campbell set out to test his hot blast theory. Mr. Campbell, accompanied by 3 other iron masters, convinced the Hurd, Gould & Company to allow them to convert Vesuvius to hot blast. The deal was that if the experiment proved to be satisfactory, the owners would pay all expenses. If it failed, Mr. Campbell and the other 3 men would split the cost.

The man that constructed this iron furnace, William Firmstone, was hired for the job. Firmstone installed the boilers over the top of the tunnel head, which utilized the waste gases. Mr. Campbell's idea proved to be a great success. The iron was of the highest quality and the productivity was dramatically increased. Many of the other iron furnaces quickly followed and began converting to hot blast.

This iron furnace sat idle from 1877-1886, before being rebuilt and converted back to cold blast. It operated roughly 20 more years before going out of blast for good in 1906.