We are affiliated with the ELCA, which remains one of the whitest Christian denominations in the US. We are located at the site of a 19th century iron furnace that supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. We neighbor Shenandoah National Park, public lands which remained segregated until the summer of 1950, just seven years before Lutherans purchased our property for a summer camp.
As we are reclaiming our history, we are discovering a lot about our past and this land. We have a lot of work to do in ensuring that all feel welcome at Caroline Furnace. Community is the core of outdoor ministry and we encourage you to join us in learning and growing together, so that our communities may be welcoming to all.
The highest populations of enslaved people in Shenandoah County labored in iron production - producing charcoal, mining iron ore, and operating iron furnaces. Benjamin Blackford owned three charcoal, cold-blast iron furnaces in the Shenandoah Valley: Isabella Furnace, Elizabeth Furnace, and Caroline Furnace. Operations at Caroline Furnace began in 1836. The 1830 census reports that Benjamin Blackford enslaved 53 people of African descent: 44 men and 9 women. He also hired 7 free African Americans to work in iron furnace operations.
As shared by Shenandoah Stories: “The first African Americans were brought to Shenandoah County as [enslaved people] during the 18th century. The exact date of their arrival is unknown, but we do know that by 1783 there were 362 [enslaved people] in the county. That number would grow to 2,423 in 1820 when one in seven people were [enslaved]. These individuals were considered to be property, had no rights, and were viewed as less than human. Almost everyone accepted and participated in this system. Records indicate only a few individuals ever openly opposed slavery in this area.
Few of the [enslaved people] are remembered today. They left behind almost no written records. The only physical reminders of their presence are their burial sites and the buildings they were forced to construct for their masters.”
Shenandoah Stories is a project curated by the Shenandoah County Library. Learn more about African American history in Shenandoah County below.
Comments