The following article by Stephen Thomas was originally published in The Pioneer News on 23 Apr 2026. It is re-published here with permission. The text and photos associated with this article are copyrighted by Stephen Thomas and The Pioneer News.
BELMONT — "This dream has come true!"
The Iron Furnace in Belmont has been a community fixture since the 1840's and now the community can officially visit it. The surrounding area has been cleared and cleaned, with a new entrance, allowing visitors to see a large piece of local history in a park-like setting.
A special ceremony took place to commemorate the new Historic Belmont Iron Furnace County Park with various luminaries in attendance. The guest speakers included Dr. Greg Kuhns, whose family owned the property.
"This dream has come true," Kuhns announced to start the ceremony, thanking Bullitt County judge/executive Jerry Summers and local historian David Strange "for making this park a reality."
Kuhns credited Bullitt County parks director Kim Foster for her efforts in working with all the vendors to complete the project.
"(Foster) has done an incredible job," he said.
Kuhns also thanked Foster and Bullitt County History Museum director Sheri Hatter for signage, as well as Bernheim Forest for placing informational kiosks in the park.
Strange also thanked Foster, along with the Bullitt County Road Department staff and director Robert Watkins, as well as Bernheim Forest and the History Museum.
"They all did so much good work," he said.
Strange mentioned reading about a conversation he had with current Bullitt County Tourism director Troy Beam and former director Elaine Wilson going back to 1994 that involved trying to clean up the furnace area as a park for visitors.
"We're gonna have a park built," Strange read from the 1994 conversation.
Bullitt County Chamber of Commerce CEO Anita Stump mentioned visiting the location in 2009 during a Leadership Bullitt County course.
"It didn't look anything like this," said Stump. "We talked about doing something to it then. This is gorgeous."
According to Strange, the 33-foot tall stone structure was built in 1844 and renovated in 1853. The furnace was used to heat iron for industrial uses at the time.
"This area would've been an industrial wasteland then," said Strange. "In a year it would use 300 to 500 acres of trees, and the county had three. You wouldn't find hardly a stick. Black smoke belching out, and there were no filters… this was a filthy place."
Strange pointed out iron deposits that remained still located within the ground, using a magnet to show the various spots.
The railroad being located in Bullitt County in 1855 led to the demise of the furnace, which closed in 1861. Strange said a Union Army camped at the location for a time during the Civil War to protect the rail line.
Strange recognized the Kellerman Family, property neighbors who have served as property caretaker for many years.
In conclusion, Strange thanked the Kuhns Family and Bullitt Fiscal Court for its commitments to protecting the location into the future.
Summers thanked the Bullitt County magistrates and the county road department for all of their efforts toward establishing the park.
According to Summers, the county is leasing the property from Kuhns for the moment, although it will maintain the park. Strange mentioned hopes of making the area an official entrance to the neighboring Knobs State Forest.
"Teamwork shows you can really do something fantastic," Summers said. "We'll preserve this park. We'll take care of this. It will be in the (county) budget."
"I don't think I could have accomplished any of this without all of the great help," said Foster. She thanked Watkins for his expertise and the road department's assistance, as well as Bullitt County jailer Bryan Whittaker and the Detention Center staff and inmates for their help.
Foster also gave a special thanks to Bullitt County EMA director Jon Waters, who provided a drone to view the area during the renovations.
Others Foster thanked for providing assistance included Bob Lambert with Turning Point Survey, Josh Bowman with B&H Concrete and Construction, Dale Mulhall with Amazing Signs, Andrew Berry with Bernheim Forest, Tim Stillwell with Stillwell Fencing, and Mat Carnell with Bullitt County Public Library.
She also credited EZ-Fab, Scott Stockton, and Rich Curtsinger for assistance.
Foster credited Strange and Hatter, and the History Museum, for what she referred to as a tremendous amount of effort toward the project.
The park included a new entrance and small parking area along Pioneer Drive, with a new walking bridge over a creek to access the area.
New wooden fencing lined the entire park area, including around the furnace itself. Picnic tables have been created for the park.
Informational kiosks are on display to tell the history of the furnace and of iron making over the past two centuries.
The park is open to visitors weekdays from 8 am-5 pm. For more information contact the Bullitt County History Museum, (502)921-0161 or bullittcountyhistory.org.
The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 23 Apr 2026 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/memories/belmontfurnace-dedication.html
