Nomination Form
A relic of western Virginia’s once important iron industry, the Catherine Furnace was constructed in 1836 in the tapered square shape typical of iron furnaces of the period. The Page County furnace produced high quality pig iron used for shells in both the Mexican and Civil wars. It went out of blast in 1887 and stood abandoned until its purchase in the 20th century by the federal government as part of what is now the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The structure is maintained today by the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service as one of Virginia’s best examples of a formerly prevalent industrial form.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Nomination Form
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia
