Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, in Elverson, Pennsylvania, preserves a historic rural iron-making community called an iron plantation. Along with hundreds of other iron plantations, Hopewell produced metal that was essential to the growth of the United States.
An ironmaster (iron manufacturer) named Mark Bird founded Hopewell Furnace in 1771. The furnace produced such military items as cannons and shot, along with such domestic items as cookware and stoves. Hopewell Furnace provided cannons for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). The furnace was the center of a villagelike community, where workers and their families performed many jobs. Furnace workers made the iron. Cooks, farmers, maids, miners, seamstresses, teachers, woodcutters, and others supported the furnace and the community with their many skills.
During the late 1800’s, more efficient ironmaking techniques came into use. Other foundries could produce iron more cheaply than Hopewell Furnace could. As a result, Hopewell Furnace shut down in 1883, and its workers left to find jobs elsewhere.
Restored buildings at the historic site represent the iron plantation as it looked from 1820 to 1840. These buildings include the ironmaster’s mansion, which contains furnishings from the 1870’s. Among the other structures are a blacksmith shop, the company store, a rebuilt furnace complex, workers’ homes, and a functioning water wheel. At the site’s working farm, visitors can learn what kinds of livestock were important to the community.
A visitor center has exhibits on furnace operation and on the sand cast method of shaping iron, in which workers pour melted iron into a mold made of sand. Artifacts on display deal with Hopewell’s cultural and industrial background. During the summer, visitors can view demonstrations of molding (the making of molds) and casting. A historic orchard near the visitor center produces over 25 varieties of apples, which are available for picking in the fall.
Tourists also can visit French Creek State Park, which surrounds the Hopewell site. The park preserves the land that provided natural resources for the furnace. Park trails pass by charcoal hearths—flat, circular areas where workers slowly burned wood to make charcoal for the furnace.
The plantation became Hopewell Village National Historic Site in 1938. In 1985, its name changed to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The National Park Service operates the site, with the support of the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.
