With the rain and winds subsided, today we ventured out to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.
Hopewell Furnace is comprised of 848 acres with historic structures to illustrate how the business, technology and lifestyle of an “iron plantation” helped of our nation grow into an industrial giant.
The plantation operated from 1771 to 1883, cultivating iron ore for use in
farming and household implements. During the revolutionary war, the plantation created 115 cannons, and other items, to help the war efforts. After the war was over, the owner, Mark Bird, was unable to collect money due him from the now bankrupt Continental Congress. This, along with other factors, contributed to the plantation going out of business.
While we walked the grounds we learned about the making and use of charcoal in the blast smelting of iron. The creation of pig iron – bricks of iron that would later be sold to companies who would using them in their productions.
We wandered into various buildings and read the educational placards, pet some sheep and a huge black work horse before we finding our way back to the Visitor Center.