In the early 1800s, iron making grew in north-central West Virginia. Samuel Hanway built Rock Forge near Morgantown around 1798, and Samuel Jackson started a major ironworks at Ices Ferry in 1809. Another important site, Capon Iron Works, began in 1832 near Wardensville and lasted into the 1880s.

By 1860, 28 charcoal iron furnaces were operating in 11 counties. But most shut down during the Civil War because of difficult transportation, plus cheaper iron from Pennsylvania was becoming available. After the war, West Virginia’s iron industry briefly returned but faded in the 1880s as new technology replaced charcoal furnaces, and steel became king.