The mountains surrounding Snowville were, and in many places still are, rich with iron ore. One of the first factories established in Snowville was a trip-hammer forge. It was located at the confluence of Little Laurel and Big Laurel creeks (near present-day Blue Ridge Mountains Council property) and was operated by Asiel Snow and his son-in-law, David B. Bill. Cast and wrought iron products were transported to Snowville by wagons and oxen carts. The cast iron was collected as scrap and later made into stoves, kettles, corn shellers, cane mills, and many more other cast-iron products. The wrought iron on the other hand was quickly produced into horseshoes and horseshoe nails, buckboards and buggies, and hearses; it was also used in forgings for sawmills, gristmills, and cane mills.