Eagle Furnace
(Chickies No. 2)
To the east of Donegal Furnace, an anthracite furnace, known as the Eagle Furnace, was built in 1854 by Stephen F. Eagle, who owned much property locally. Its stack was 35' high and 12' at the bosh. By 1870, it had passed into the ownership of Edwin Haldeman and Company. The furnace was renamed Chickies No.2. Dr. Edwin Haldeman was one of Henry's sons who was operator and part owner of Chickies No.l that was located to the east just across Chiques Creek. The Chickies No.2 stack was raised to 45', and the annual production was then 4,800 tons of pig-iron. Both local ores and ores from Cornwall were used. Steam power was furnished by a 100 HP steam engine. There was extensive remodeling done in 1889, when the stack was again raised, this time to 66' and the bosh increased to 12'. By 1892, the total annual capacity of both Chickies furnaces was 37,000 net tons.
During the 1889 remodeling, the Romanesque style brick engine house was enlarged. Anthracite iron production ceased at this furnace in 1899. The engine house, however, is still standing, but there have been additions to the first story that are not sympathetic to the original architectural design. Unlike the rest of the furnace sites, this tract is not part of the Chickies Rock County Park.; it remains in private ownership and has been used by various commercial enterprises over the years. The casting house and the stone base of the furnace stack were recently removed by the owner.