Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge in Greenup County, Kentucky marks the former location of the Globe Furnace and Ironworks. Here, in November 1837, Isaac Downey, a forty-year-old man, escaped his enslavement, most likely heading down Tygarts Creek, which empties into the Ohio River opposite Portsmouth, Ohio.
As was common practice for enslavers, George Darlington, the owner of the ironworks, placed a notice in Chillicothe, Ohio’s Scioto Gazette:
Runaway Advertisement for Issac Downey, published in Chillicothe, Ohio’s Scioto Gazette in December 1837.
“$75 Reward: Ran away about the 20th of November last, from our Ironworks, in Greenup County, Ky., Isaac Downey, a dark mulatto slave, about 40 years of age, 6 feet 1 or 2 inches high, weighs a little upwards of 260 pounds, has a down look when spoken to, fond of strong drink. He had on when he left a new tight-bodied coat of blue cloth and jeans pantaloons. Took with him an over-coat, made of black lion skin cloth. We will give $75 for the apprehension and delivery of him to us, if taken out of the State of Kentucky, or $25 dollars if taken in the State of Kentucky.”
Such advertisements, common in the 19th century, reveal how enslaved people were described as property, their humanity reduced to physical traits and clothing.
The Globe Furnace, established in 1830 by George W. Darlinton and partners, produced 600 tons of iron annually by 1838. Though small compared to other regional furnaces, it was part of the larger Hanging Rock Iron Region—an area straddling Kentucky and Ohio that dominated U.S. iron production until the late 1800s. These furnaces required enormous quantities of charcoal, ore, and limestone, processed in dangerous, labor-intensive conditions. In Kentucky, slave labor was central to this production.
Enslaved people in Appalachian ironworks, such as Globe Furnace, performed nearly every task: mining ore, cutting wood, making charcoal, tending furnaces, and even transporting finished iron. They worked alongside white laborers but under far harsher conditions and with no freedom.
Isaac Downey likely participated in all stages of production, including transporting furnace products to the Ohio River and Portsmouth, where forges and an iron rolling mill turned pig iron into finished products. Additionally, Portsmouth had a free Black community, which supported Underground Railroad activity. Downey may have used this route and personal connections to residents in Portsmouth to facilitate his escape. Downey’s ultimate fate, however, remains unknown.
The stone abutments of Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge were constructed from the stones that once formed the charcoal furnace stack of the Globe Furnace and Ironworks. Image Credit: Andrew Feight, Ph.D. (2024).
The Darlinton family that ran the furnace held influence on both sides of the Ohio River. George’s father, Joseph Darlinton, was a prominent judge, legislator, and Presbyterian elder in West Union, Adams County, Ohio. George eventually sold his furnace properties and freed those whom he had enslaved, resettling them in Adams County, Ohio. He remained in Kentucky and was eventually elected Sheriff of Greenup County.
In 1855, Benjamin Franklin Bennett purchased the former Globe Furnace property, rebuilt the mills, and established a thriving business. To help customers cross Tygarts Creek, Bennett and his brother Pramley constructed a covered bridge. Stones from the dismantled furnace stack were thus reused in the abutments of their bridge. Today Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge is recognized as the longest single-span covered bridge remaining in Kentucky.
Resting upon its furnace stack stones, the Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge stands as a memorial to the resilience and resistance of those like Isaac Downey who sought a life beyond bondage. The site recalls Kentucky’s early iron industry, built on enslaved labor, and how the Ohio River encouraged resistance and flight to Portsmouth and Ironton, where freedom seekers received assistance from the Underground Railroad.
This site is part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour, funded by an ARC POWER Grant and developed by the Lawrence Economic Development Corp. and the Center for Public History at Shawnee State University.
