Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

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rdf:langString Furnace stack with modern cupola , and national park service sign explanation of operation .

rdf:langString Blast machinery and national park service sign explanation of operation .

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rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace Blast Machinery 001.jpg

rdf:langString NPS sign Hopewell Furnace Water Wheel.jpg

rdf:langString NPS sign Hopewell Furnace Cold-blast Charcoal Furnace.jpg

rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site - Pennsylvania .jpg

rdf:langString Union Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA

rdf:langString Map of the US state of Pennsylvania showing the location of Hopewell Furnace

rdf:langString Hopewell_Furnace.JPG

rdf:langString Hopewell Village, Furnace & Bridge House

rdf:langString Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeasternBerks County, near Elverson, Pennsylvania,is an example of an American 19th century rural iron plantation, whose operations werebased around 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), as well as the ironmaster's house, a company store, the blacksmith's shop, a barn and several worker's houses. Hopewell Furnace was founded about 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 VillageNational Historic Site under the authority of the Historic Sites Act, thereby becoming one of theearliest 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.