Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located at 2 Mark Bird Lane in Elverson, Pennsylvania. Hopewell Furnace exemplifies 19th century rural American life on an iron plantation. Hopewell Furnace was an operating iron plantation from 1771 to 1883. Hopewell Furnace consists of 848 acres. There are historical structures on the grounds that are use to educate visitors and to demonstrate the technology and business aspects of a functioning iron plantation from the late 18th century to the late 19th century.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site's hours of operation are 9:00am to 5:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. The site is also open the same hours on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. The historic buildings and the Visitors Center are closed on all other federal holidays and on Mondays and Tuesdays. The hiking trails, restrooms, and parking lots are open every day unless it is one of the federal holidays that the park is closed.
During the summer season, which runs from late June through Labor Day, visitors can learn about the regular operations of a historic iron-making community by watching demonstrations and experiencing living history programs. On the days that the historic buildings are open, the activities offered vary from day to day. In September and October, the historic apple orchard located on the grounds is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Visitors are able to pick apples in the orchard if they would like to. The apple orchard is home to many historic varieties of apples that are no longer available in today's markets. The availability of the different apple varieties and the length of the apple picking season is dependent upon how successful the growing season is that year. The apples picked from the orchard are sold by the pound.
From March through December, each visitor 16 years of age or older is charged an entrance fee of $4. A family entrance fee of offered to families with three or more individuals that are 16 or older. The entrance fee for a family is $10. No entrance fees are charged in January or February. Children under the age of 16 always receive free admission to the site.
As a courtesy to those that work at the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, reservations are recommended for groups of 15 or more. Small groups and individuals taking self-guided tours are not required to make reservations.
Hopewell Furnace was originally started by Ironmaster Mark Bird. Some of the historic buildings on the property today include the ironmaster's mansion, a blacksmith's shop, a company store, a blast furnace, workers' quarters, a charcoal maker's hut, and auxiliary structures. Visitors are also able to see a 30-foot waterwheel. Hopewell Furnace is home to over 50 structures that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
French Creek State Park borders Hopewell Furnace on three sides. State Game Lands to the south of Hopewell form the last boundary around the site at Hopewell. The surrounding wooded areas and rural land has helped to preserve the lands that the furnace used for natural resources.
The volunteers and employees of Hopewell costume themselves in period-appropriate attire so that visitors can better experience what a rural industrial community like Hopewell would have been like in the 18th and 19th centuries. While living history programs have been a long-standing component of the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, funding constraints have limited the living history programs that are offered. Additional information about the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site can be obtained by calling 610-582-8773.
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