Dear Researchers of the Carter County, Kentucky Mailing List, I am interested in learning more about the iron furnaces of Carter County, Kentucky, especially those in existence in the 1840's and 1850's. An 1872 list named four iron furnaces for Carter County, namely: Boone Furnace, Mount Savage Furnace, Star Furnace and a fourth unnamed furnace. These four were operating in 1872. But according to a newspaper article posted on the Carter County website, before these four furnaces was Pactolus Furnace, the first iron furnace in eastern Kentucky. Pactolus Furnace, established in 1792, was located two miles north of Grayson on the Little Sandy River. This furnace had gone out of blast by 1842. Does anyone know if Pactolus Furnace ended its days by an explosion? Thank You, Randal W. Cooper