This fountain at Newport on the Levee was made by Stewart Iron Works, which makes ornamental pieces to order. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        COVINGTON — In 1862, 33-year-old Richard Claiborne Stewart and Thomas A. Martin opened the Stewart and Martin Iron Fence Works at Eighth and Madison in Covington.

        The partnership ended in 1869, and by the turn of the century, Stewart Iron Works, now at 18th and Madison, was the largest iron furniture manufacturer in the U.S. and the largest ornamental fence maker in the world.

        Stewart Iron Works supplied fencing and gates to the Panama Canal as early as 1903. The company also has sold jail cells to Sing Sing and Alcatraz prisons and iron benches to the New York City park system. Stewart built all the benches for the old Greenline steamboats. From 1913 to 1928, Stewart built heavy-duty trucks at its Covington factory.

        During World War I, the company employed more than 700 workers as government orders took top priority. After the war, prisons around the country ordered jail cells and hardware from the company. Chain link fencing sales helped the company survive the Depression years.

        The company contributed to the World War II effort, manufacturing machine gun mountings, tank armor, and portable bridges for the Army Engineers.

        Today, owners Mark Rottinghaus and Andy Hanes have the company back on track.

        Now and Then, a look at historic places in Northern Kentucky, appears Sundays in The Kentucky Enquirer.
       

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