The Production of Pig Iron at Endor

Item 670: David Anderson & Co., "Eagle Foundry," Fayetteville Observer, March 23, 1863

During the seven months in which Endor operated under the ownership of William Downer, the company sold pig iron at fifty-cents per pound. (Item 670) The ledger shows that the Downer Group sold the majority of the iron produced to David Anderson of Fayetteville, who had previously done business with the McRaes. Anderson owned the Eagle Foundry in Fayetteville, which made railroad car wheels among other products. (Wiesner 2007, 53) His business flourished due to Eagle Foundry’s close proximity to the Endor Iron Works, and he advertised this benefit in the Fayetteville Observer along with the claim that his railroad wheels, made from Endor iron, were equal to the highest quality wheels in the Confederacy. (Item 707)  This relationship with Endor’s iron continued after the departure of the McRaes as Anderson received a number of large shipments of pig iron and scrap material from the company. A July 8 entry in the ledger states that Anderson made payment on an order for 24,000 pounds of pig iron as well as 12,000 pounds of scrap. (Item 670) This evidence demonstrates that the furnace was indeed functioning during this time period. The continued business of Anderson after the McRaes sold Endor signifies that the furnace was working within the local economy.  The ledger does not support the assumption that the Downer Group shipped iron to Tredegar like the McRaes did under contract with the Confederate government. The overwhelming majority of iron was consumed locally. The furnace at Endor was far from profitable however, and the local scale production of iron can be seen as a reason for the ownership of the Downer Group only lasting seven months. During Endor’s ownership by the Downer Group, the ledger only accounts for sales totaling 77,634 pounds of pig iron and 12,000 pounds of scrap material totaling $43,617. (Item 670) Payroll alone cost the Endor Iron Company over $40,000, and corporate expenses cost the Downer Group $78,000 over the course of their ownership. (Item 670)