"Life in the Iron Mills" is a short story set in 19th-century Wheeling’s iron factories. Written by Rebecca Harding Davis and published in 1861, it showed the hard life of factory workers with powerful, realistic detail. The story focuses on Hugh Wolfe, a worker who stirs molten metal and carves sculptures from a waste material called korl. Some wealthy visitors notice his art but only talk down to him, giving him false hope. Hugh then makes poor choices that lead to tragedy. The korl sculpture stays as a symbol of his dreams and struggles.