From Forest, to Furnace, to Foundry: A Local History of the Iron Industry

Our region's history has been shaped by the iron industry, and we can still see signs of the past at our state parks today. Join Kings Gap, Pine Grove Furnace, and Caledonia State Parks for this three-part series. Attend each park's unique program to gain a complete understanding of what it took to produce cast iron long ago. No registration required. Charcoal Production Sunday, June 14th 1:00 PM - 2:30PM Kings Gap Environmental Education Center Immense amounts of charcoal were needed to fuel the iron furnaces of the region. Learn how the charcoal was produced and investigate clues left in the forest to locate a charcoal hearth. Meet at the Education Building. Extracting the Iron Sunday, July 12th 1:00 PM - 2:30PM Pine Grove Furnace State Park Iron furnaces had to transform the iron ore into a usable material. This intensive process required around-the-clock work. Communities naturally sprung up to support the furnace and its workers. Explore the remains of a local furnace community to learn how it functioned. Meet at the Old Stone Furnace Stack. The Final Product Sunday, August 9th 1:00 PM - 2:30PM Caledonia State Park Blocks of iron produced at furnaces were sent to area refineries for final preparation. Only then could the iron be molded into various products at places like blacksmith shops. Explore the old iron works at Caledonia to learn about this final step in iron production. Meet at the Blacksmith Shop. For more information, contact us at 717-486-3799 or ra-nrspkingees@pa.gov