The Antrim Iron Company was an ironworks that operated in Antrim, Michigan (south of Mancelona) from 1886 to 1945. The site was located between U.S. Route 131 and the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad tracks.
History
In 1882, an organization called "John Otis & Company" built a large charcoal furnace on the site and platted a town around it named "Furnaceville." The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad soon built a station there. In 1886, a group of businessmen from Grand Rapids purchased the company, renaming it the Antrim Iron Works and the town Antrim. A large blast furnace and ironworks were constructed, and the new company began operations. The founding members included Willard Barnhart (first president) and John C. Holt (vice president, later president upon Barnhart's death in 1919).
Manufacturing and Transportation
Initially, timber was hauled in from various lumber camps across Northern Michigan to produce iron products. In 1894, the company built a small railroad branch called the Mancelona North Western Railroad, extending two miles west from the site, allowing the company to log its own timber and transport it on its own railroad. This self-sufficient operation lasted until 1907, when local timber supplies were exhausted, and the company developed other methods to obtain raw materials.
The company converted hardwood into charcoal to manufacture pig iron, and also produced hard and soft wood lumber and wood chemicals.
World War II and Closure
During World War II, the company operated around the clock to meet wartime demand for materials. After the war ended, operations quickly slowed, and the company closed in 1945 due to depletion of natural resources. It remained a legal entity for another three decades, primarily as an owner of real estate. The final president was Marshall M. Uhl.
Legacy and Environmental Impact
The factory stood abandoned for over forty years before being demolished in the mid-1980s. Today, only a few foundations, a small outbuilding, and a former railroad siding remain. The company disposed of its waste in a pond behind the facility, which led to water contamination. This pond, known as "Tar Lake," became a Superfund site and was added to the National Priorities List in 1983. Cleanup efforts took place in the mid-to-late 1990s, and federal cleanup resumed again in 2025 after a decade-long gap.
