Carl Malone, Sr born July 25, 1921 died June 30, 2005 Donna Malone born March 19, 1928 Died Jan 11, 2016 Donna Malone March 19, 1928 — Jan. 11, 2016 Donna M. Malone, 87, of Pedro, passed away Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, Kentucky. The Lawrence County native was born March 19, 1928, the daughter of the late Algie and Ada Deffenbaugh Bond. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Carl E. Malone, Sr. Mrs. Malone was a graduate of St. Lawrence Catholic School, was a former health care aid for the Bond Nursing Home, Oak Hill Hospital, Jo-Lin Health Center and a former cook at the Job Corp. She was a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pine Grove. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary Jane “Janie” Robinson; two sisters, Mary Jane Bond and Kay Latka; and three brothers, James Bond, Darwin Bond and Archie Bond. She is survived by two sons, Carl E. “Sonny” (Diane) Malone Jr. and David Keith (Lorraine) Malone, all of Kitts Hill; a son-in-law, Stanley Lee Robinson, of Pedro; six grandchildren, Angie (Beau) Dillon, Matt (Ashley) Malone, Tammy (John) Thomas, Rob (Jamie) Malone, Andy (Amber) Robinson and Tommy (Joy) Robinson; 10 great-grandchildren, Taylor Dillon, Caitlin Dillon, Braden Malone, Brycen Malone, Braxten Malone, Wray-Lynn Thomas, Garrett Malone, Owen Malone, MacKenzie Marie Robinson and Rylee Andrew Robinson; and special friends, Audrey Malone, of Decatur, Mary and David Palmer, of Franklin Furnace and Wayne and Bonnie Albright, of Decatur. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Tracy Brammer-Monroe Funeral Home, Ironton, with Father David Huffman officiating. Burial will follow in Slabfork Cemetery and visitation will be Wednesday from 1 p.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be the grandsons. To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net. ============== Volunteers hope to restore Mt. Olive furnace Published 12:00 am Friday, July 25, 2003 By Staff Reports WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - Mt. Olive will once again have an iron furnace if a group of Lawrence County residents can rebuild it. In 2002, Amos Hawkins, a retired history teacher from Aid Township, and Carl Malone, a 32-year employee of the U.S. Forestry Service from Symmes Township, formed the Mt. Olive Furnace Park Corp. Malone said they created the corporation, which now has a total of eight members, because they want to educate the residents of Lawrence County about this aspect of the county's history. The corporation's members, according to documents obtained from the corporation, intend to cooperate with the county's schools to make this a mandatory field trip for all students. "It's a shame people in Lawrence County don't know the history of the county," Hawkins said in written statement. The completed project will include the re-establishment of some original buildings, such as the company store, which will have a museum and classroom on the second floor; nature trails created with the cooperation of the U.S. Forestry Service and shelters with picnic tables for parties and reunions, according to plans obtained from the corporation. Malone said the blueprints that will be used for rebuilding were obtained from Buckeye Furnace. He said, though, that no two furnaces were built alike. For instance, the Mt. Olive Furnace has a Roman archway that Malone believes no other furnace in the United States has. Mt. Olive Furnace began its blast in 1846 and ceased operation about 1910, according to the research the group has completed. The group also found the furnace employed approximately 300 men to operate the furnace and work in the forest and mines. The furnace produced approximately 3,000 tons of iron every year, which lasted from September until May. The corporation secured a 50-year lease from Dave Patton, owner of the property, in April 2003, allowing the corporation to move forward with its plans. However, if the corporation cannot renew the lease after 50 years, a clause in the lease calls for the destruction of everything the corporation built, Malone said. According to Malone, approximately $2,000 has been raised from local residents and businesses and the money has already been spent developing the land. Also donated to the cause has been an estimated $3,000 in volunteer labor, Malone said. John Rehme of Decatur Township has volunteered his time to help with the project. "It has tremendous county historical value with what went on before the Civil War," Rehme said. During the past year, the corporation has razed the remains of a store and removed trees and brush. The furnace is now visible from state Route 93, 20 miles north of Ironton, across from Mt. Olive Baptist Church, the former company church. To donate money or labor, contact Carl Malone at 2753 County Road 51, Pedro, Ohio 45659 or call (740) 643-2657. =============== History enthusiasts want to restore Mt. Olive Furnace Published 10:14 am Friday, October 25, 2013 By Justin Prince The Lawrence County Genealogical Society is hoping to bring a bit of the county’s past back to life. The society hopes to do this by restoring the Mt. Olive Furnace. John Campbell, the founder of Ironton, owned the furnace, which has major historical significance, says Nicole Ratcliff, a member of the society and co-owner of what currently remains of the Olive furnace. “It was one of the longest running furnaces in the county,” Ratcliff said. “A lot of the employees at this furnace were freed slaves that Campbell had helped escape into Ohio through the Underground Railroad.” On Saturday the genealogical society in conjunction with the Lawrence County Historical Society will host a picnic at the site of the Olive furnace to discuss further plans for the restoration. The connection to the abolitionist movement of the antebellum era is not the only reason the Olive furnace holds importance. The furnace is also one of the more unique furnaces that existed in Lawrence County. Unlike the other iron furnaces in the area, the Olive furnace featured two Roman arches that supported the weight of the boilers, smoke stacks and charging house. “This furnace has very distinctive architecture,” Ratcliff said. “A lot of it is still standing. It is just a very interesting place.” There was a time in the county’s history that it was littered with iron furnaces. The furnaces made rural Lawrence County a pumping artery fueling the body of the nation’s economy. As one of America’s foremost producers of iron ore, Lawrence County attracted workers and industry alike. “The iron furnaces were the life blood of the county,” Ratcliff said. “At the peak of the iron industry about 90 of these furnaces were in operation, providing jobs for thousands of workers.” But, as the 19th Century gave way to the 20th, the nation made a move away from iron to steel and the furnaces began to flounder. As the furnaces closed so did other businesses in the area and when two floods hit in a 20-year (1917 and 1937) span, along with the Great Depression, it all added up to a decline. “The furnaces are such a big part of our history,” Ratcliff said. “We want to share what it used to be like around here and bring that history to life.” The society started cleaning up the area of the Olive furnace to prepare for the restoration project last year. “There has been so much plant growth up there that just clearing it off was a big job,” Ratcliff said. “It’s coming along though and we are in the process of trying to secure some grants for the project.” ==========================