The Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site is a 23-acre (9.3 ha) industrial site located in Devil's Backbone Park in Grand Tower, Illinois. The site was operated by the Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company, a mining and industrial company which operated in Illinois in the 1860s and 1870s. The furnaces at the site were used to produce coke, a fuel produced from the coal used in iron smelting. The coke produced at the site was likely shipped to an iron furnace 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the site.[2] The site also includes the remains of the superintendent's house; a local legend claims that the house is haunted by the superintendent's daughter.[3]
Grand Tower Mining, Manufacturing and Transportation Company Site | |
 A hillside in the district | |
   | |
| Location | Devil's Backbone Park, Grand Tower, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°38′06″N 89°20′13″W / 37.63500°N 89.33694°W |
| Area | 23 acres (9.3 ha) |
| Built | 1869 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000839[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1979 |
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1979.[1]