Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
April 2025
Stepping Back in Time at Hopewell Furnace
We visited a charming, lesser-known National Park Service (NPS) gem. As a living history museum featuring 19th-century buildings, structures, and appliances, Hopewell Furnace allowed us to travel back in time and enjoy a fascinating glimpse into America’s early iron industry.
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Starting in 1772, this ironmaking community prospered for over a century; its furnace served as the heart of a lively village. Ironmasters transformed iron ore, limestone, and timber from the surrounding lands into cast iron products such as stoves and pig iron.
Hopewell Furnace stands for its iron production. Less known but nevertheless important is its, for that time, progressive reputation: it had equal pay for equal work policy around 1830, regardless of race or gender. Black and white residents lived as neighbors decades before slavery was abolished. Learning about this social context made my visit to Hopewell Furnace even more fascinating.
Dates
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Distance
2.73 miles
Moving Time
1:13:57 hrs
WEATHER
64 °F, moderate breeze