Iron Station takes its name literally. This stretch of Lincoln County grew up around iron furnaces and the rail station built to serve them. The most striking survivor is Vesuvius Furnace, raised around 1792 by General Joseph Graham, whose son went on to serve as Governor of North Carolina. The property was restored in 2009 and now operates as Vesuvius Vineyards, a working vineyard and event venue on Vesuvius Furnace Road. Homes here sit on open ground along NC-27, with farmland and woods between them, and Iron Station Elementary and East Lincoln Middle keep families close to their schools.
Vesuvius Furnace has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.
General Joseph Graham's son, William Alexander Graham, served as Governor of North Carolina and later as United States Secretary of the Navy.