Anthracite Furnace

This hot blast anthracite furnace was built in 1853 as an attempt to modernize the iron making process. Instead of charcoal, it used anthracite coal mined in northeastern Pennsylvania as fuel.

• A ruin of a large stone structure, the top of the structure is completely gone and varying layers of stone are exposed. A large grassy hillside rises directly behind the ruin.

Apple Orchard

The earliest mention of an orchard at Hopewell Furnace is a 1788 Pennsylvania Gazette article highlighting the sale of the estate, describing it as "an excellent young bearing orchard of about 250 apple trees of the best fruit.” In the late 1700s at least one orchard existed on or near the furnace property including one in the general location of the present-day orchard.

• rows of neatly planted apple trees on a grassy hillside.

Blacksmith Shop - Hopewell Furnace

The blacksmith shop was one of the busiest and most important places in Hopewell. The skill of the blacksmith in making and repairing iron objects made him a necessary worker at Hopewell Furnace and nearly every other community in America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

• A small stone structure building with red tile roof. Leaning against the right corner, a wooden-spoked wagon wheel and a short wooden barrel, bound with rusty, iron circular bands.

Hopewell Barn

Hopewell Furnace depended on animals to provide it with power and foodstuffs needed to maintain their business and themselves. Most animals related to furnace operations were kept in the barn.

• A tall red and white barn. The top of the structure is made of wood, and the bottom is made of stone. The barn sits next to a large fenced in pasture.

Hopewell Furnace Cast House

The Cast House encloses the charcoal blast furnace where all of Hopewell's products were produced. Powered by man power and a large water wheel, the furnace provided job that produced iron for a growing country.

• In the interior of the front building, scattered on the gravel floor, are flasks from the molding process, a freight wagon, and a wheelbarrow. In the left rear corner, an opening to the massive furnace, and molding work area beyond.

Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area

The Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area celebrates the Schuylkill River region for its cultural, historical and industrial significance. It was along the banks of this river and its tributaries that the American, Industrial, and Environmental Revolutions were born. From the Continental Congress to Washington's encampment at Valley Forge, the region played a key role in the American Revolution and more.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Visitor Center - 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, PA 19520

• Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Visitor Center - 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, PA 19520
• Your first stop should be the Hopewell Furnace NHS Visitor Center where you will find staff eager to assist with your orientation to the park. Exhibits about furnace operations and the making of iron products including the original Mark Bird 1772 stove are on display. You can shop for Hopewell Furnace NHS related items by visiting the Eastern National store, a not-for-profit cooperating association; proceeds help fund park programming. Restrooms are available at the Visitor Center as well.