Talladega Creek Iron Forges

[boneduster48]

Hey Guys and Gals!  I am new to the forum and I love the site.  There is a wealth of information on the site and it has lead me on a wonderful adventure so far.  I am the current archaeologist here on the Talladega National Forest.  I got turned on to the rich history of the Talladega Creek valley looking through the site.  I saw several references about Rob Roy Forge near the falls of the same name.  Being the history geek that I am, I had to find out more about the forge.  As luck would have it, I have come across numerous historic sources about the early iron industry in the area.  As it turns out, there were four iron forges located on Talladega Creek.  Two of which such be located on Forest Service land.  I have been searching in a few areas along the creek and I think I have found one of the two forges! Its some pretty cool stuff!  However, I was wondering if any of you guys have come across any thing around the Rob Roy Falls area while hitting the white water or hiking in the area.  When things slow down here at work, I am hoping to recorded these as archaeological sites and do more research on the subject.  If you guys know of any thing interesting in the waldo/Talladega Creek/ Rob Roy area it would really helpful!

[Joshua Szulecki]

Welcome aboard!

I'm not familiar with Rob Roy Falls. I'm guessing that is the name of a low head structure for a former mill? I would not have expected a natural waterfall in the Waldo area, based on what I've seen, but I haven't spent a ton of time in the area. Do you have coordinates for this feature?

Good luck on searching for the forges! I'll check and see if I have anything in my waterfall notes regarding artificial structures, but I don't think I remember anything.

 

[boneduster48]

Thanks for the welcome!  I say they are falls, its really just a fair sized rapid due east of the shepard's branch shooting range.  I found an 1886 Talladega County map that shows the location of Rob Roy forge, The Rob Roy "Falls", Storey's gold mine, Maria forge, Riddle's mill, and a few other places in the Waldo area.  Its a really interesting area with alot of early history including all the 1830s Gold Rush areas.  I am hoping tomorrow to get back out to that part of the world and poke around some more!  The photo is kind of hard to make out, but its what I believe to be Eagle Forge.  The structure is fairly large and measures 10x6 feet.  There would have been more at the site such as a waterpowered hammer as well as another forge.  Should be a great day out in the woods tomorrow!

[jaybird]

I can put you in touch with some folks who know that area very well.  One still owns the house immediately behind the Old Mill restaurant and bridge in Waldo.  Send me a PM and I'll hook you up.

[Firedog]

I have a picture of the forge. I'll see if I can attach it.

[boneduster48]

I think I know what pictures your talking about.  There are two different black and white photos taken in 1910 by the state geologist at the time.  I found them through the online digital collection through the university of Alabama.  One of those pictures has standing forge in it and in the background to the right a collapsed forge is visible.  The thing is, I have no clue as to which forge goes to which picture.  Reckon it just makes the mystery that more interesting to solve.  In any case, they are some wonderful pictures!

[Firedog]

Have you ever looked at this website. It is pretty interesting.
http://www.alaironworks.com/index.htm



I like that kind of stuff. I would enjoy rambling around the woods and looking for that kind of stuff. I've been down to Rob roy on several occasions just looking around for artifacts. I researched the railroad that came through there. If you go across the bridge at the put in near the railroad crossing and turn left you are driving down the old RR bed. I followed the RR bed out of the NF it comes out in Munford at the old Salt Creek furnace site at Jennifer. That Railroad bed was taken up in 1923.

[boneduster48]

The old rail road there is pretty interesting in its self!  While I was out near the rail road tunnel there looking for eagle forge, I ran across several old telegraph poles with all the hardware and some wiring on them.  I got out towards the Mump Creek area today.  The creek runs into Talladega Creek behind the old waldo covered bridge and I talked to a nice couple renting the house there.  After talking for a while, I noticed an old cattle dipping vat near the drive way.  These things are not much to look at, but boy there is a ton of history behind them.  Also, if you guys come across any, do yourself a favor and do not stick around too long as there is a lot of arsenic associated with those things.  In fact the Forest Service is trying to locate as many of these things as possible.  They are testing them to see how toxic they are as well as fixing the really bad ones that my affect public drinking water and such.  So, you never know what your going to find out in the woods or by some one's drive way!

[tdcanada]

I grew up in the Eagle Forge/Rob Roy area and have walked most of the old RR bed from the tunnel to the old Tressel crossing with the concrete piers still standing.  I alway thought is was the same railroad as the one that now exist there, which was the SAL at one time...but now I think it may have been something different, does anyone know what RR it actually was?

[Firedog]

The old rail road doesn't follow the same route as the current RR. If you go across Talladega creek and turn left. The cut in the rocks is the old Union T road. about a 1/4 mile down this road you can see the old raised RR bed fork off tho the left of the current road.  If you can get to a computer that has access to Virtual Alabama you can follow the old RR bed, shown by property lines. Just using Google maps, follow the Union T road out of the NF to Cemetery Mountain Road. When CMR crosses Woolfolk road look to the left an you can see the old RRbed coming in from the left, paralleling the Cemetery Mountain Road. It then follows Twin Churches road to McElderry Road toward Munford. The old RR bed leaves McElderry to the north and runs just behind the new high school. It crosses highway 21 and continues to the site of the old Jennifer Foundry, which part of the existing RR form Oxford to Talladega.
I hope this gives you a little help.

[tdcanada]

Firedog, Im going to have to disagree with you on part of that about the RR, yes the Union T road from the concrete bridge is the old RR bed and then over by Eagle forge, it basically follows the creek around the ridge that the tunnel on the existing RR goes through, and there is an old concrete tressel there.  I dont know where it goes from there, and it could hook up with the RR bed you talk about in Ironaton, but they are not the same. That old bed turns and follows the old Woolfolk road when it was just a dirt road, and followed a little different route, and went through Stockdale (Crossed right beside Stockdale baptist church) and on into Talladega, it was taken up Im guessing in the late 70's. 

I Talked to my Uncle, who grew up mostly out at our property out just past Waldo, and it was his understanding that the RR down by Eagles Forge was a narrow gauge RR.

[Firedog]

You can follow the RR ROW from the bridge at the creek to Munford on Virtual Alabama. That is what I was using as a reference. If you know anyone who has access to VA, it is easy to follow.  As for the date the old RR was taken up. I was told that by Trig that lives there. I remember the old RR bed that came through Munford, behind the new HS. The bridge over it on 21 is still there. I don't remember it ever being used though. Even when I was a kid in the 60's it was all grown up.

[tdcanada]

Trig may live there, but he has only been there a few years, and he is gone now.  I dont know if it is wife or what, but there is a woman named Alice that lives there now, wondering around harrassing people.  I grew up there, im 47 now...the house I grew up in is only two miles south of Waldo Bridge on the old 77 highway (the road off the new 77 to my property is private now)  The eagle forge site is less than a 1/2 mile from my property. I've been going down there for years, that old road down there used to be only accessable through our property, but the new road opened it up to the public.  My father crew up in the mountains near Union T, My grandfather built Union-T church.  Both my grand parents grew up in the mts also, My grandfathers family near the little steel bridge between chandler springs and Union T, my grandmothers family lived on the old road between Union T and Cemetery Mt. road. 

You are correct about the railroad in ironaton and munford, I dont remeber ever seeing a train on that track, but I used to hunt with my dad all along it from stockdale to Ironaton and munford, and I guarantee you 100% that track went to talladega, as a matter of fact my mother who grew up on Wilcot road over by lake Mary, used to tell me how when they were kids they could flag the train down and ride it into Talladega for 10 cents.  To my best memory, the tracks were actually taken up in the 70's

I dont have access to Virtual Al but, you can see and follow that RR ROW on google earyh very easily.  You cant see that old RR ROW that follows talladega creek on google earth.  I went over and canoed the creek from Chandler Springs to Waldo on Saturday april 9th.  First time in probably 20 years.  The gauge I used to use at Chandler Springs is long gone, so I chanced it....It was a good run, but 1" less water and it would not have been any fun.  I tried to keep up with the old ROW and it follows the creek all the way.  there is an old tressel just before the new tressel at the south end of the tunnel, and there is an old tressel (Tressel Rapids) at the North end of the tunnel.  I have no idea where it goes from there, but there is no way it is the same RR as Ironaton.  I do not know when that track was taken up...1923 sounds good though.  I cant find anybody alive that remebers there actually being rails theres.  My dad didnt and he was born in 1918.

With all the long winded talk, firedog im not being ugly...as a matter of fact...I am thinking about trying to walk that old ROW from the tunnel to see where the hell it goes.  My curiosity is getting the best of me.  And Im getting my nephews into canoing, so we may be making some more runs soon when the water is good.  My old buddy Stever Patterson were talking the other day of how we were 19 and decided to make that run at 3'.  We made it in 2 hrs...there were no eddies to grab and it was in the trees.  I bet there was a 10 wave at Rob Roy...Steve was in a kayak and I was in an old town with a saddle and full floatation.  We didnt portage around anything.  Next time we try to run it, Ill send you a message, would love to make the run with you.

Dale Canada

[Firedog]

I would like to see some of those spots sometime. Have you ever used the Flow Page on alabamawhitewate r.com? Jere's the link:
 
http://flowpage.alabamawhitewater.com/

http://alabamawhitewater.com/

Look at the Guide or Run Index, Talladega Creek. It has some good info. I ran it last year with Donald Macon. It was running about 500 cfs that day and was about the minnimum. Lex Brown from Tallapoosa River Outfitters wants to run it sometime this summer.

As for the old RR, I'm sure since you grew up there you are correct. As I stated earlier, the reference I used was all I had to reference.

You want to get your nephews into canoeing. We are planning a weekend trip down the upper Tallapoosa from about the state line to Hwy 46 east of Heflin. Our plans are for the last weekend in April. Y'all are welcome to join us. Lex has boats if you need'em.

[spur]

Hi guys! I recently found this thread and thought I would chime in. I am a former employee of the current line that passes through the area you are talking about. Here is the information I have found and was passed down to me from older employees (old heads). The old alignment, along the Talladega creek, you make reference to is what is left of the Eastern Railway of Alabama's alignment from Stockdale to Pyriton AL, circa 1903. This line was constructed roughly 4 years before the Atlanta Birmingham and Atlantic (current line) and was roughly 19.9 miles in length. From what I understand, either the ERA was absorbed by the AB&A or they bought the right of way or something to that effect. The AB&A in turn, used some of the old ROW and built new sections as well. I have heard somewhere, as well, that the old alignment was narrow gauge but I haven't confirmed that. There were several sections of the old ROW visible from the current ROW. There was the stretch along the Talladega creek, with the old bridge peers, and then there was a few other stretches from the siding at Weathers, south to Pyriton. I remember one of the older conductors I trained with, pointing them out and telling me they were the "old alignment". I remember you could see them really well during the winter. Heading south from Talladega, you could see the old ROW branch off from the current line somewhere maybe south of Mump Creek Road or in that vicinity. I remember it clearly but cant remember exactly where it was at. From that point the old ROW took off along the creek. There as another segment visible, an old fill, looking south of the tracks at Weathers. Then a few other segments along the line just north of Pyriton. What I dont have a clue about is the rest of the alignment from where it came into our line south of Mump Creek Rd, north to Stockdale. I've always wanted to explore that area on foot, but no longer live in Alabama. Hopefully this info helps ya out!

Best Regards,
Spur