The place you are standing on now used to be a furnace and was mentioned as early as 1640. This is where rock from the mine was smelted and the copper extracted from the rest. The remaining rock was cooled and used for a variety of things, for example house foundations. It might seem odd to place a furnace out in the forest so far from the mine, but one must understand that the area was very different from what it is today. During the busiest periods of mining there were 132 furnaces like this being used, all dependent on a constant stream of water just like the mine itself. This was a very populated area with many different types of professions and activities, a technologically advanced industry for the Era. So, how did the furnace work and why was water so important? We know today that the copper melts at 1 080 degrees Celsius so they needed an extreme heat, which would not have been effective with large fires. Instead, they pumped air into the fire by the use of a large water wheel; it is because of this they needed a steady stream of water. Notice the ditch next to you, which at one time had a funcwater wheel. The houses are since long gone, and nature continues to reclaim itself. There are some remains however, that are visible to this day. The rocks which you are standing on are the remnants from the furnace, a byproduct of smelting which is called ‘slag’.