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. He shaped shoes for the horses and mules that were essential for the furnace operations. He made nails, hinges, hooks, wagon parts, tools, and repaired all the iron fixtures of the furnace's machinery.
The Cast House encloses the charcoal blast furnace. All of Hopewell's products were produced in this building. To the left of the furnace, moulders worked at their benches producing sand molds for stove plates and other cast products. Guttermen dug trenches and runners for iron and slag in the clay floor in front of the furnace. The furnace founder monitored the furnace and water wheel, shouting instructions up to the fillers. All of this work was done over two twelve hour sh
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.
