Cherry Valley Coke Ovens

The Cherry Valley Coke Ovens consisted of 200 coke ovens built by the Leetonia Iron and Coal Company around 1866, near Leetonia, Ohio, United States. The function of the "beehive" coke ovens was to purify coal and turn it into coke. The coke was burned in furnaces that produced iron and steel.The site, also known as Cherry Valley Coke Ovens Arboretum, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. An Ohio Historical Marker was added in 1999. Outside of the Connellsville Coke District in Pennsylvania, this site represents one of the largest remaining site of intact beehive coke ovens in North America.HistoryThe ovens were built by the Leetonia Iron and Coal Company around 1866 to purify coal and turn it into coke. The coke was then burned in furnaces that produced iron and steel.The Leetonia Iron and Coal Company went bankrupt in 1873 was taken over by the Cherry Valley Iron Works. The Cherry Valley ovens produced over 70,000 tons annually at their peak in 1900. The Great Depression and the developing steel industry put the operation out of business.The site was donated to the village of Leetonia for a park in 1982, and, in 1986, the village council appointed a commission to transform the area into a park.Restoration and parkThe village of Leetonia developed the Cherry Valley Coke Ovens Park on the site. The area is heavily wooded area with hiking trails in and around the coke ovens and other sites of the former Cherry Valley Iron & Coal Co. The project was undertaken by the village of Leetonia to protect the site of a large part of the village’s history.