Welcome
to the website of Cornwall Iron Furnace, part of a National
Historic Landmark District, America’s most
complete charcoal fueled ironmaking complex.
A Site of “Transcendent Significance”
In these words, Robert Vogel of the Smithsonian Institution
described Cornwall Furnace. “With the exception of a mere
handful of similar preservations in Sweden and Germany — and
possibly a few in eastern Europe — I doubt that elsewhere in
the world is there a 19th century iron furnace complex with
the degree of historical integrity to be found at Cornwall…”
Cornwall Furnace is indeed a unique survivor of the early
American iron industry. Originally built by Peter Grubb in
1742, the furnace underwent extensive renovations in 1856-57
under its subsequent owners, the Coleman family, and closed
in 1883. It is this mid-19th century ironmaking complex
which survives today. At Cornwall, furnace, blast equipment,
and related buildings still stand as they did over a century
ago. Here visitors can explore the rambling Gothic Revival buildings
where cannons, stoves, and pig iron were cast, and where men
labored day and night to satisfy the furnace’s appetite for
charcoal, limestone, and iron ore.
Cornwall Iron Furnace is part of a
National Historic Landmark District by the U.S. Department of the
Interior, National Park Service. It has also been designated
a National Historical Landmark by the American Society of
Metals, and a National Historic Mechanical Engineering
Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
citing Cornwall Furnace as “the only one of America’s
hundreds of 19th century charcoal fueled blast furnaces to
survive fully intact.”
Home |
History | Visitor Information |
Site Map
Furnace Tour |
Calendar of Events
Educational Resources |
Links of Interest
Cornwall Iron Furnace Associates
Pennsylvania Trails of History
Cornwall Iron Furnace
Rexmont at Boyd Street
P.O. Box 251 Cornwall, PA 17016
Phone: 717-272-9711
Fax: 717-272-0450
Administered by the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Josh Shapiro, Governor | Nancy Moses, Chairman
Executive Director, Andrea Lowery
With generous support of
the Friends of Cornwall Iron Furnace.
Copyright. All rights reserved.
