Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site

The Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site is a 23-acre (9.3 ha) industrial site located in Devil's Backbone Park in Grand Tower, Illinois. The site was operated by the Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company, a mining and industrial company which operated in Illinois in the 1860s and 1870s. The furnaces at the site were used to produce coke, a fuel produced from the coal used in iron smelting. The coke produced at the site was likely shipped to an iron furnace 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the site.[2] The site also includes the remains of the superintendent's house; a local legend claims that the house is haunted by the superintendent's daughter.[3]

Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site
A hillside in the district
Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site is located in Illinois
Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site
Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site is located in the United States
Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site
LocationDevil's Backbone Park, Grand Tower, Illinois
Coordinates37°38′06″N 89°20′13″W / 37.63500°N 89.33694°W / 37.63500; -89.33694
Area23 acres (9.3 ha)
Built1869 (1869)
NRHP reference No.79000839[1]
Added to NRHPApril 13, 1979

The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1979.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Conrad, Cynthia E. (March 17, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: "The Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company" Site" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "Visitor's Guide to the Devil's Backbone Park". Greatriverroad.com. Retrieved January 31, 2014.