Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park - Elverson, PA.

Wake up & smell the charcoal! That's exactly what would have happened back in the late 1700's if you lived in the small coal-production village of Hopewell, PA. What lies there now is known as Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park. It is adjacent to French Creek State Park and makes for both an educational and adventurous day trip.

Hopewell Furnace NHP is rich in history. The furnace first went into production in 1771. Its main product was iron and the ironmaster's name was Mark Bird. The furnace provided much of the iron weaponry used in the American Revolution. Without Hopewell & other furnaces scattered throughout the colonies, the Revolutionary War would have been a hopeless cause! These furnaces literally fueled the birth of our country.

Hopewell, like other furnaces, also made their own charcoal. It was a very time consuming process not only to burn the charcoal, but to cut all the wood needed to create the fuel. The charcoal making process required 6000-7000 cords of wood, or 200 acres of woodland, to keep the furnace in full operation for one year. The owner tried to convert Hopewell over to using anthracite coal; however, this proved to be too costly and was abandoned. The cost of iron production combined with the post-Revolutionary war debt accrued by the government eventually forced Hopewell and many other furnaces to be shut down permanently.

Fast forward to the present day and you are in a very different setting. There is no more iron smelting, and except for a few visitors and period re-enacters, the place is virtually deserted. However, this situation provides a great setting to visit each of the buildings and take in the history. My top 4 building recommendations are the Water Wheel building, the Office & General Store, the Iron Master's Mansion, & the Spring House. One of the tenant houses has replicas of dishes, butter churns, books, card decks, and dominos that you can pick up and examine more closely. Upon arriving in the General Store we spoke with a park volunteer dressed in period clothing that told us more about the park's history than the audio recordings or information placards could have possibly given to us! She also informed us that just three times a year they have the charcoal pit going, and what luck, we just happened to be there for it.

The park is open from 9am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday from Memorial Day through late October. In the off season the buildings are open on weekends, weather permitting. There is no admission to the park. There are many events both historical and not hosted by the park throughout the year, and there is an apple orchard open to the public in the fall months. Most of the buildings in the park can be seen in under 1 hour; however, if you take the time to really examine everything, you should allot yourself at least 2 hours.

Other nearby attractions include: French Creek State Park, St. Peter's Village, and the Horseshoe Trail.

For more information:
* Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park.
* Friends of Hopwell Furnace NHS.
* French Creek State Park.

The view of Hopewell Furnace village from the French Creek State Park east entrance.

 

The water wheel, in operation.

The Ironmaster's Mansion.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park - Gardners, PA.

Nestled in Cumberland County is Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Like all state parks it has trails, trees, and lakes. But it also has some more unique features to it as well. We started off our day by eating lunch next to Fuller Lake. The water was kind of on the green side but it is late in summer so that is to be expected. There is also an area roped off for swimming, which is nice, considering you can't swim in the lakes at many state parks! There was also a nice (read as "new") facilities building with bathrooms & changing rooms.

After our lunch we set out to climb Pole Steeple Trail. It leads about half a mile up a 400 ft incline to... well, Pole Steeple. Pole Steeple is a set of rocks (for the geologists, it is made of dolomite, rhyolite, & quartzite) which offers incredible views of the surrounding Michaux State Forest. There are 2 overlook areas adjacent to each other that each offer their own unique view. Beware that if you set out to try this hike, the trail is relatively difficult. It is also very rocky & steep so strollers are not feasible. Also, for those of you who geocache, Pole Steeple is an Earthcache! [EDIT: 3/31/12: This earthcache has been archived, but you should still visit anyways. Life is about the journey!] ... Why is it called Pole Steeple? Well, I had to do some research to find out! After reading Falcon Guide's Hiking Pennsylvania, I now know why it is called Pole Steeple! Way back, Boy Scouts hiked up to the steeple (definition: a pile of rocks) to mount a flag pole on the cliffs. The flag is long gone but the name stuck & the view is still great!

After climbing we went down to check out Laurel Lake which also has a swim area sectioned off for day use. Both Fuller & Laurel Lakes were used in earlier times as iron ore quarry which have now filled up with spring (cold) fed water. It's a welcome site on a hot day.

Other local attractions include the Appalachian Trail. The park actually marks the midpoint of the AT for those attempting to thru-hike it. Rumor has it that it is tradition for thru-hikers to eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream when they reach the halfway mark. The AT can be accessed from several places throughout the park. Maps can be found at the park information center. There is also an A.Y.H. Hostel in the park which is mainly used by AT hikers.

Another local attraction is the Appalachian Trail Museum. It is the only one of its kind! It opened June 5, 2010 and is seeking to preserve the AT Heritage. They are looking for item donations from people who have hiked the trail & laypeople who just want to help out. They are closed Nov. 1 to Mar. 31 so now is the time to go if you don't want to wait until Spring! The museum is located near the AT midpoint.

So if you ever find yourself in Cumberland County, PA needing a peaceful retreat (although most of the county is pretty peaceful to begin with) head on over to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for a picnic, a swim, a hike, or a history lesson.


For more information on the places mentioned in this post:
* Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, PA.
* Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
* Appalachian Trail Museum.
* Appalachian Trail Conservancy.



The view of Laurel Lake from Pole Steeple (~400 ft higher).