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Browns Island is located on a river in the Midwest, the island has a long, interesting history. It was noted by George Washington during his travels, and Meriwether Lewis from the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped there in 1803, on the site there's an ancient Native mound, and early petroglyphs existed on the head of the island. For around 100 years the island was privately owned and farmed until 1957, when a steel company bought it to build a coke plant. There was also a mail plane crash on the island in 1933 that killed the pilot and passenger. In Dec of 1972, right before the Coke Ovens started operating, there was a gas explosion which killed 21 construction workers, the oven were operational until 1982, eventually, they were demolished and the island sold slag for commercial use until 2008. Although there were no ovens standing, it was still an interesting explore, my neighbor and grandfather worked here when the Mill used it. I was very fortunate to get permission to go on it
Browns Island is located on a river in the Midwest, the island has a long, interesting history. It was noted by George Washington during his travels, and Meriwether Lewis from the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped there in 1803, on the site there's an ancient Native mound, and early petroglyphs existed on the head of the island. For around 100 years the island was privately owned and farmed until 1957, when a steel company bought it to build a coke plant. There was also a mail plane crash on the island in 1933 that killed the pilot and passenger. In Dec of 1972, right before the Coke Ovens started operating, there was a gas explosion which killed 21 construction workers, the oven were operational until 1982, eventually, they were demolished and the island sold slag for commercial use until 2008. Although there were no ovens standing, it was still an interesting explore, my neighbor and grandfather worked here when the Mill used it. I was very fortunate to get permission to go on it
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