Cornwall Iron Furnace
1742-1883
The heart of a vast industrial plantation for nearly a
century and a half.
Cornwall Iron Furnace is an extraordinary example of the
furnaces that dotted the Pennsylvania countryside in the
18th and 19th centuries. Around it developed villages,
artisans’ shops, stores, schools, churches, and the home of
a wealthy ironmaster. All of the raw materials necessary for
the smelting process — iron ore, limestone and wood for
charcoal — were found in this self contained iron plantation.
Cornwall Iron Furnace, the only surviving intact charcoal
cold blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere, attests to the
once great iron industry that flourished in south central
Pennsylvania.
In the 1730s, Peter Grubb, a stone mason, began mining
nearby. In 1742, he established the furnace. He named the
area Cornwall in honor of the area in England from where his
father had emigrated. This furnace remained in operation
until 1883.
Although the British Parliament attempted in 1750 to
restrict production of iron in the colonies, the output
continued to rise. The American colonies, with Pennsylvania
being the top producer, smelted one-seventh of the world’s
iron.
When Peter died in 1754, the property passed to his sons, Curttis and Peter. By 1798, Robert Coleman had gained
control of the furnace operation. Robert was very successful
and became one of Pennsylvania’s first millionaires.
Cornwall Iron Furnace remained in operation until 1883, when
newer furnace operations fueled by anthracite coal made it
obsolete. The furnace was abandoned, leaving the building
virtually untouched until it was given in 1932 to the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania by Margaret Coleman Freeman Buckingham,
Robert’s great grand-daughter.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Cornwall’s iron plantation
contained industrial, residential, and agricultural
activities. Small villages were created for furnace workers
and miners. These stone and brick structures were simple in
style but sturdy in construction. Many other structures
built during this time period use a Gothic Revival
architectural style.
The ore mine, which continued to operate until 1973, is
located just south of the furnace property. Bethlehem Steel
acquired ownership of the mine between 1917 and 1922. Both
strip mining and underground mining were used to extract ore
from the ground. The open pit mine began to flood in 1972, and today
the open pit is filled with water.
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Cornwall Iron Furnace Associates
Cornwall Iron Furnace
94 Rexmont Road
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 |
Hayley Haldeman, Chairman
Executive Director, Andrea Lowery
With generous support of
the Friends of Cornwall Iron Furnace.
Copyright. All rights reserved.
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