Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County, near Elverson, Pennsylvania, is an example of an American 19th century rural "iron plantation," based a charcoal-fired cold-blast iron blast furnace. The significant restored structures include the furnace group (blast furnace, water wheel, blast machinery, cast house and charcoal house), plus the ironmaster's house, company store, blacksmith's shop, barn and several worker's houses.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Map of the US state of Pennsylvania showing the location of French Creek State Park
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (the United States)
LocationUnion Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Nearest cityReading, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°11′55″N 75°46′32″W
Area848 acres (343 ha)
EstablishedAugust 3, 1938
Visitors49,980 (in 2005)
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteHopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Hopewell Furnace was founded c. 1771 by ironmaster Mark Bird, son of William Bird, who had been one of Pennsylvania's most prominent ironmasters. The site's most prosperous time was during the 1820-1840 period with a brief return to significant production during the American Civil War. In the mid 19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal-fueled furnaces to anthracite-fueled steel mills rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.

In 1938 the property was designated Hopewell Village National Historic Site under the authority of the Historic Sites Act, thereby becoming one of the earliest cultural units of the National Park System.

Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored structures, 52 features on the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded acres. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located in the Hopewell Big Woods and bordered by French Creek State Park on three sides and State Game Lands 43 on the south side, which preserves the lands the furnace utilized for its natural resources.

  • General Village Area, 2017
  • Furnace Group
  • Furnace Stack and Modern Cupola
  • Water Wheel
  • Blast Machinery
  • Ironmaster's Mansion
  • Barn (reconstructed)
  • Blacksmith Shop Interior
  • Representative Stove

See also

References
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