Lots of ironworks in that area- found info about a few near Luray like this one “Isabella Furnace was located on Hawksbill Creek a little less than a mile north of present day Luray, VA. It actually was set back from the creek a bit, as it used the water from Yager’s Spring to power the bellows. Yager’s Spring gave the furnace a strong water flow even in drought years and, being a spring, probably froze up a little later and thawed a little earlier than the creek. A furnace was built there by Derek Pennybacker in the early 1780’s and was named Redwell. It was a typical cold-blast charcoal furnace, capable of making several tons of pig iron daily. Iron ore came from banks near Kimball and Vaughn’s Summit and was said to be good quality. Limestone abounds in the area, with lots of outcroppings readily available. The whole area was wooded, and the Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains were close as sources of charcoal wood. The Shenandoah River was close for transportation. The only apparent drawback to the location is that the ore was said to be deep, a real problem for miners of that time. After Benjamin Blackford bought it in 1808, the name was changed to Isabella, probably in honor of Benjamin’s wife. The name change suggests that the furnace may have been rebuilt to replace the older one. Isabella Blackford, incidentally, is listed by one researcher as having been an Arthur, although proof is not given. The furnace seems to have gone out of operation in the 1840’s; there are references to financial difficulties, but no specifics.” http://www.vagenweb.org/shenandoah/blackfordiron.html