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Linn's History of Centre and Clinton Counties, page 264, 265
"March 17, 1792, Col. Samuel Miles, of Montgomery County, bought large tracts of land on Spring and Bald Eagle Creeks, in Centre County, and sent his Sons John and Joseph out to lay out a town and to establish works for the manufacture of iron. The town they laid out was Milesburg, and the works they established in 1797, known as the Miles-burg Iron-Works. The works at Milesburg were carried on for a time in connection with the Centre Furnace. Upon the death of Col. Miles, in 1805, his sons, John and Joseph, came into possession, and until 1825 were the sole proprietors. In the year last named Joseph Green came in, and the firm-name was changed to Joseph Miles & Co. In 1832, Joseph Miles' sold his interest to James Irvin, and until 1836 James Irvin & Co. conducted the business. Joseph Green then retired in favor of Gen. Huston, who sold to Andrew Gregg, whereupon the firm-name was changed to Irvin, Gregg & Co. In 1849, Gregg retired, and J. M. McCoy, J. H. Linn, and Moses Thompson succeeded him as partners with Irvin. The firm was then known as Irvin, McCoy & Co. To 1852 the works, consisting of a forge and rolling-mill, were operated in connection with Centre Furnace, which then went out of blast. Irvin, McCoy & Co. thereupon bought of the McKinney estate Hecla Furnace (in Walker township), at which point there was a rolling-mill (for boiler plate) as well as a furnace. The firm also rebuilt the Milesburg forge and mill in 1850. In 1860, Irvin withdrew. In 1862 the wire-mill was added, and until 1865 McCoy, Linn & Co. were the operators. In that year Moses Thompson sold out to his two partners. In 1866, McCoy & Linn abandoned Hecla, and built a blast furnace at Milesburg. The next change in the finn occurred in April, 1876, with the death of Mr. Linn. Since Dr. McCoy's death the works have been carried on by his son, Frank McCoy, for the estate (represented by himself and his sister, Mrs. J. D. Shugert.) The works now include a blast furnace, charcoal forge, puddling-mill, rolling-mill, and wire-mill. The blast furnace has a capacity of about sixty tons weekly, and the charcoal forge (containing seven fires and a six-ton hammer) a weekly capacity of thirty tons. The puddling-mill has three furnaces, in connection with muck-rolls and a five-ton hammer. The rolling-mill includes a bar-mill and guide-mill, each of which has a capacity of six tons each twelve hours. The wire-mill draws about one ton of wire daily. The annual capacity for each industry may be stated at 3000 tons for the blast furnace, 1600 tons for the forge, 3500 tons for the rolling-mill, and 300 tons for the wire-mill. The manufactured material is shipped mainly to New England.
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