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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
