Brierfield Furnace

Brierfield Furnace, an early Alabama iron making facility, was the state's largest producer of iron during the Confederacy, providing most of the iron cast into heavy naval ordnance in Selma. Constructed in 1861the furnaces continued to operate until the turn of the century.

In the early part of 1860 Colonel C. C. Huckabee and Jonathan Newton Smith began planning to build an iron furnace to supply the farmers and cotton planters with iron. The site of the first plant was selected and a company composed of Huckabee, Smith, S. G. Wilson, Gray HuckabeeJ. D. Nance and a Mr. Huntington was formed.

Large ore holdings and timber lands were acquired. Machinery was purchased in Montgomery and Brierfield, Mississippi and the first cold blast furnace was constructed in early 1861. Within a few months the furnace was turning out some 25 tons of first class iron a day. It was soon discovered that wrought iron was more profitable than cast iron, and a search began for a place convenient to a railroad for construction of a rolling mill. A site on Mahan Creek was secured and a tram road from the furnace over to the mill was constructed.

In July of 1863 the Confederate government purchased the plant by a forced sale. The purchase of the Brierfield works was instigated by are port from George Peacock who had been entrusted with the responsibility of selecting the pig iron that was to be cast into heavy naval ordnance.

According to his report "the Brierfield iron was the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns and above any other in the South". Huckabe sold the plant for $600,000.

Major Hunt was placed in charge of the works. His headquarters were in Selma but his assistant commander, Colonel Erwin, was in personal command of the plant and its operation until the works were destroyed during the War.

During the war the labor force was increased and the capacity of the plant was expanded by adding a new hot-blast furnace. The entire produce was appropriated for naval and military purposes during the remainder of the war. Of the sixteen blast furnaces operating during the war in Alabama, Brierfield had the largest daily capacity (25 tons) and was one of six operating a rolling mill.

After the war the property was seized as contraband of war by the United States government, and was sold at public auction in January of 1866 for$45,000. Francis Strother Lyon purchased the whole outfit and the Cane-brake Company was organized. Among the organizers was Gen. Josiah Gorgas the instigator of the project.