Today I ventured out from my undisclosed location in Virginia to see the ruins of the Elizabeth Furnace, located along Passage Creek near the north end of Massanutten Mountain, which includes several roughly parallel ridges. From a parking lot along County Route 678, a trail leads to the ruins. Shortly after I started my short hike, I came across this informational display mounted on a truncated stone pyramid, the shape probably intended to evoke that of the many furnaces located in eastern states. It turned out to be the first of many such markers along the trail.
I soon came across what's left of the furnace, separated from the trail by a fence, and apparently partially eaten by the forest.
Adjacent to the furnace was a wall of rocks. If you look closely at the trees above the wall, somewhat right of center, you can see another rock wall.
Here's the opening in the front of the furnace.
Looking back along the trail, here are the fence and several markers, each including a truncated pyramid.
The trail eventually led to a viewing spot above the furnace. There appears to be a gap between it and the hill on which I was standing.
Here's the viewing spot next to the trail, with another truncated pyramid marker and a larger stone structure to the left.
The Elizabeth Furnace is part of a recreation area of the same name, which includes mountain biking trails (and hiking trails, too, as I've seen) and a campground.
No comments:
Post a Comment