Beginning in the mid-16th century, the working of iron began, first from the pits in Buhlenberg and Elchweiler, then later from Thalfang and Schwarzenbach. In 1763, owing to economic hardship, the Abentheuer Ironworks ("Abentheuerer Hütte") passed into the ownership of the Stumm entrepreneurial family, which already had other ironworks and hammermills in the region at its disposal. After this change in ownership, production in Abentheuer rose noticeably. From 1770, the plant's products were first and foremost cast-iron articles made from imported pig iron. In 1835, the ironworks were bequeathed to the Böcking brothers, who shut the works down in 1875 and moved them to the coal deposits and better shipping links on the Saar.