Commercial & Iron Ore Industry Buildings
Historic Cumberland Furnace
Cumberland Furnace, a frontier industrial village, was established by James Robertson who discovered iron ore veins on the West Fork of Barton’s Creek. On land grants purchased from North Carolina Revolutionary War soldiers in 1792 and 1793, he built the first industrial complex west of the Cumberland Basin. By 1796, his iron works were producing pig iron.
In 1804, Robertson sold the iron furnace to Montgomery Bell. Bell operated the iron furnace until 1825. Local tradition holds that Bell furnished General Andrew Jackson with cannon shot during the War of 1812. He expanded the village to include a sawmill and a gristmill. In1825, Bell sold the iron works to Anthony Vanleer. Vanleer dismantled the Robertson furnace, rebuilt Bell’s second furnace, and introduced steam power. In 1861, he turned the management over to Hugh Kirkland, his son-in-law.
After the fall of Fort Donelson in 1862, the furnace was shut down during the Civil War. When Vanleer passed away, his grandchildren inherited the operation. His granddaughter Mary Florence Kirkland married Captain James Drouillard after the Civil War. The Drouillard’s reopened the furnace and operated it as a family business until 1889. They built the large Victorian mansion and the St. James Episcopal Church. They deeded the church property to the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1882.
In 1889 the Drouillard Iron Works was sold to the Southern Iron Company. L&N Railroad built the Mineral Branch with a six mile spur to Cumberland Furnace. The company changed hands until 1899 when the Warner Iron Company took possession. By 1938 Warner closed the iron furnace and the property went into receivership. It reopened for a short time in 1942 but closed permanently in 1943. By court order the ironworks buildings and property were sold to a scrap dealer.
In 1988, the Cumberland Iron works and village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the small iron museum is a stop on the Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail of the Western Highland Rim. For more information about the Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail go to http://histpres.mtus.edu/histpres
Historic Sites
1. The Cumberland Iron Works Museum (Grimes House ca. 1850: The museum is operated by the Cumberland Furnace Historic Village Association.
2. The St. James Episcopal Church, 1878. This country gothic structure was built by James and Florence Drouillard. In March 1882, the Drouillard’s deeded the property to the Convention of Protestant Episcopal Church of Tennessee.
3. Stark’s Community Center, ca. 1915: Originally known as the Maxey Store, Hubert Stark purchased the business in 1924 which included a pool room, barber shop and a garage that were located between the store and his home. Mr. Stark operated the business for 69 years.
4. The Drouillard House, ca 1868-1870: The only Italianate mansion in Dickson County. This was the summer home of the Drouillards.
5. Cumberland Furnace Train Depot, ca. 1920. In 1891 a spur line was built from Vanleer to Cumberland Furnace. The passengers and freight service not only benefited the iron industry but soon made the village a shipping center. Tobacco and other warehouses covered a half mile near the tracks right-of-way.
6. Cumberland Furnace Commissary, ca. 1870. This building is an extraordinary example of a utilitarian commercial type structure and the only surviving example of its kind recorded during the Survey of the Iron Industry on Middle Tennessee. It was used as a commissary until 1920.
7. Cumberland Furnace Company Building, ca. late 19th century. This two story brick structure is believed to have served as the company office and rooms for visitors. The second floor had a doorway exit on the adjacent hillside for loading and unloading goods. It is privately owned and currently being meticulously restored by its new owner.
8. The Company Building, ca. late 19th century. This two room brick structure may have served as a small warehouse or a company store.
