iron furnace

My family and I visited the Iron Furnace while we were in Shawnee. This is a FREE attraction and worth seeing. The roads leading to it aren't the best, and at times we thought that we were on someone's driveway, however once we were there we were glad that we made the trip.This is the first iron furnace in Illinois and pig iron was smelted here during the Civil war days. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.You can spend 5 minutes or 5 hours there. My family was there for about 1-1/2 hours exploring and having a picnic lunch. Bathroom facilities are on site.It's worth the visit to experience this piece of history.

Another great out-of-the-way stop in Shawnee National Forest. A quiet place for a picnic or just to relax.

We turned onto a country road that had a sign for the iron furnace 7mi, we drove over 10 miles with no luck of finding it. The drive was very nice though, we had the windows down and enjoyed the scenery. Sometimes you just have to get lost for the fun to begin!

Interesting site, but all historical info is online and not on site due to vandalization. Pretty area, bad toilets but nice picnic pavillions.

We love visiting the Iron Furnace when we're in Shawnee. Be prepared for a little drive down the gravel road once you turn off the highway. It seems like you're lost-keep going you're almost there. :) It's like going back in time and it is neat to see such a structure.

This is a little hard to find, but worth it. Interesting site. Great place for a family picnic. It is close to other scenic parks such as Garden of the Gods.