Hopewell Hosts Talk on British-American Iron Link

Learn About 'The Great Cow Chase' During a Special Ranger Program at Hopewell Furnace on Oct. 13

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

In February 1778, the Continental Army was on the brink of collapse at Valley Forge. Desperate for supplies, Washington sent Brigadier General “Mad” Anthony Wayne on a foraging expedition into New Jersey. 

According to Valley Forge Ranger David Lawrence, over the next month, Wayne would play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with British forces sent to capture him, all the while driving cattle back to Valley Forge.

The Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite all  to a program: "Mad Anthony Wayne and the Great Cow Chase." The free event begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Center.

Valley Forge Ranger David Lawrence will tell the story of this operation. Learn about just how active the war was during the winter of 1778.

Hopewell Hosts Farm Animal, World War I Programs

Come and meet Max.

Blogger's Note: The following were provided by Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site and Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

It will be a weekend full of variety at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site July 13 and 14.

• On Saturday, July 13 you can join the National Park Service at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a free event. 

Spend a day devoted to the animals who served as important members of the community and called Hopewell their home.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site invites kids and their families to come explore, learn, and protect the park. 

Visitors can participate in a variety of activities to learn about the significance of Hopewell Furnace and its animals. 

Start at the Visitor Center to pick up the schedule of events for the day, inquire about becoming a Junior Ranger, and explore our 19th century iron-making village. All ages are encouraged to attend.

• On Sunday, July 14 Military historian Charles Miller, who served as an Army medic for 28 years, will present a program on the World War I legacy.

The program will be held at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference room.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site preserves and interprets an early American industrial landscape and community.

Showcasing an iron making community and its surrounding countryside, Hopewell Furnace was active from 1771 to 1883.

The park’s facilities are currently open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Hopewell Furnace is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345.

 Admission to the park is free.

For more information, stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, or visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu

Hopewell Hosts Talk on Springfield Armory May 19

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

Armaments scholar and experienced re-enactor Ken Biles will present his program “Technological Developments at the Springfield Armory 1795-1968,” on Sunday, May 19. 

Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

Using his private collection of period artifacts, Biles will demonstrate the extraordinary advances in technology that took place at Springfield Armory from its beginnings in 1795 to its final closing in 1968.

Like Hopewell Furnace, Springfield Armory is a unit of the National Park System and a National Historic Site. For nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world's largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes. 

The park is open to the public during the winter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday and during the summer seven days a week. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/spar.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell's water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopwellfurn.org.

Hopewell Hosts Fort Monroe Superintendent Oct. 14

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

The Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite the public to meet Terry Brown, superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument who will provide an overview of this 21st century park on Sunday, Oct. 14. 

Terry Brown

The free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Center.

Designated a unit of the National Park System in 2011, Fort Monroe National Monument is a decommissioned military installation in Hampton, VA—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula. 

Along with Fort Wool, Fort Monroe guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads—the natural roadstead at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers. 

Surrounded by a moat, the seven-sided star fort is the largest stone fort ever built in the continental United States. While Hopewell Furnace was known for its production of iron for the Civil War, Fort Monroe remained a bastion of defense for the Union.

A 26-year veteran of the National Park Service, Brown has served at several national parks in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts. 

Fort Monroe today.

Raised in a military family, he spent a good portion of his childhood overseas. He graduated from AFCENT Brunssum International High School in the Netherlands in 1987 and returned to the United States to further his education at Grambling State University in Louisiana. He graduated from the University in 1992 with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at the park, visitors are encouraged to explore the landscape, go into the village, tour the buildings, and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Hopewell to Host Author of Ironmaster Biography

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace

In celebration of Hopewell Furnace’s 80th birthday, the leading expert on colonial iron making Daniel A. Graham will present an overview of the iron making that fueled the American Revolution and discuss his new book Samuel Nutt and the French Creek Iron-Works, which has just been released by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace. 

 The free program on Saturday, Aug. 4 will begin at 1 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Visitor Center.

Following the program Mr. Graham will be available to sign copies of his works. 

Samuel Nutt and the French Creek Iron-Works along with Mark Bird, Ironmaster and Patriot (published by The Friends in 2016) are available for sale at Hopewell’s book store. 

They are also on sale at Masthof Press Bookstore in Morgantown, the Iron and Steel Heritage Museum in Coatesville and on line at www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

The new 124-page book with color illustrations tells the history of Samuel Nutt, the first iron master in Chester County and the second in Pennsylvania who immigrated in 1714 and by 1720 was producing iron. 

He married Anna Savage Nutt who upon Samuel’s death became the first female industrialist in the American Colonies. Their story includes George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln’s ancestor Mordecai Lincoln.

Daniel A. Graham resides in Montrose, PA. He has published more than 50 works on the following subjects: Mark Bird (the founder of Hopewell Furnace), the Potts and Rutter families, forges and furnaces, Valley Forge, the American Revolutionary War, Valley Forge, Pottstown and Montgomery County.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at the park, visitors are encouraged to explore the landscape, go into the village, tour the buildings, and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Discover the Colliers of Hopewell Furnace for Free

A collier at work.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace

What is a Collier? In recognition of the 80th Anniversary of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace will host storyteller, collier and author Susannah Brody’s exploration of the Colliers of Hopewell Furnace. 

The free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Center on Sunday, April 8.

The Colliers of Hopewell Furnace supplied charcoal, a key ingredient in making iron. Their contribution was deemed so important that during the establishment of the park, the WPA/Civilian Conservation Corps demonstrated the art of charcoal making as the park’s first formal interpretive program. 

Brody will discuss the amazing process that still continues. Twice a year, volunteers gather for a week long demonstration of the art and craft of charcoal making.

Brody, a retired teacher, has a Master of Arts degree in oral traditions from the Graduate Institute of Connecticut and is a member of Patchwork, a storytelling guild, and the National Storytelling Network. 

In addition to her definitive work on charcoal making, Brody’s publications include: “Uwchlan Township: 300 Years Above the Valley”, “Remembering Chester County: Stories from Valley Forge to Coatesville”, a three volume set of Chester County Biographies and “The History of Dowlin Forge.”

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information visit the Friends web site at www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345. For more information stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact the park by e-mail at hofu_superintendent@nps.gov.

Plant a Pollinator-Friendly Garden This Spring

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace

Just in time for Spring, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace will host “Design Your Pollinator Garden" on Sunday, March 11, a program with Penn State Master Gardener Margaret Yevics. 

The free event will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

As a certified Master Gardener and a resident of Reading, Yevics serves on the Penn State Master Gardener hot line as an information resource for the people of Pennsylvania. 

A retired Civil Engineer who has designed retail for restaurants (McDonalds), chocolatiers (Godiva), and clothing stores (Destination Clothing), today she volunteers her time to assist gardeners at several locations in the greater Reading area including the Reading Arboretum and Hopewell Furnace. 

A member of the Reading shade tree commission, she is currently working on a study of bees for Penn State.

Hopewell Furnace’s landscape is filled with a variety of gardens that are tended by staff and volunteers. 

In 2013, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Philadelphia Flower Show) recognized the excellence of the gardens at Hopewell Furnace including Hopewell’s Pollinator Garden with the PHS Community Greening Award.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell's water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. 

 Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. 

For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Hopewell to Host Work on Jewish Women Writers

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Friends of Hopewell Furnace

On Sunday, Feb. 11, in time for Valentine’s Day, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace will host a presentation of "Ruth's Daughters," a new work by playwright Christine Emmert. 

Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

Emmert, whose play “From Out the Fiery Furnace” has captivated audiences in the Delaware River Valley for more than ten years, offers this new work which promises to take the audience on a dip into the rich mix of female Jewish writers. 

Everyone from the biblical Ruth to modern scribes are commenting on their faith, their fears and joys in the pens of such as Anne Frank, Gertrude Stein, Nora Ephron and others.

Actress, playwright, and director Christine Emmert lives in Valley Forge.Her interest in women's issues has influenced her artistic work. 

In addition to her work on Hopewell Furnace, she has performed “Fragile Freedom,” a work dedicated to the struggles for women’s rights. She has several pieces out on Kindle including - "Ismene and Lilith" - stories of women who solve their crises and a full length novel, "the Nun's Dragon."

During the 19th Century, women at Hopewell Furnace received equal pay for equal work. They held many of the same jobs as men. Bethesda Baptist Church that is still at Hopewell Furnace was originally constructed as a meeting house where all faiths were able to worship.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell's water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Hopewell to Host Schuylkill Heritage Area Talk

Blogger's Note: The following is provided by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

Did you know that you may live in a National Heritage Area?

On Sunday, Jan. 14, Deputy Director of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area (NHA) Tim Fenchel will present an overview of The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area and will be able to answer that question. 

Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

Part of the National Park System and designated by federal law, National Heritage Areas are large lived in landscapes that reflect extraordinary aspects of American Heritage. 

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA celebrates the Schuylkill River watershed as one of America's most significant cultural, historical and industrial regions. The boundaries of the Heritage Area cover the Schuylkill River watershed in Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties and include five individual units of the National Park System and the Schuylkill River Trail.

This whole region is nationally significant for the role that its people, places, and events played in the American, Industrial, and Environmental Revolutions. 

The Heritage Area is home to over 3.2 million people across five counties. Approximately 1.5 million people draw their drinking water directly from the river.

Tim Fenchel has been with the Heritage Area since 2006 and is known for his great skill in securing the state, local and private funding that allows for the stewardship of the Heritage Area. 

His pride and joy is the Schuylkill River Restoration Fund, a grant program funded by both public and private business that supports water quality projects throughout the Schuylkill River watershed. 

A young visitor at the River of Revolutions Interpretive Center

at the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area HQ in Pottstown.

Tim also serves as project manager for many local and regional community projects which have included the Schuylkill River Academic and Heritage Center, the Pottstown RiverWalk, and the River of Revolutions Interpretive Center. He is currently working on a project to develop a series of recreational hubs throughout river town communities along the Schuylkill.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell's water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Hopewell Hosting Program in Native American Trade

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

A program on "Early Pennsylvania Treaties and Trade with Native Americans will be presented by historic preservationist Larry Ward at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

The free program is sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

Ward will bring to life his research on Mouns Jones who was a licensed Indian Trader along with others who traded with 18th century Native Americans. 

Native to the Schuylkill Highlands are the Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians. 

They were a loose confederation of Algonkian bands, which at the opening of the 17th century occupied a continuous territory from the Delaware Bay to the Blue Mountain Ridge, including today’s Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. 

A prominent feature of the park is the Lenape Trail, a 5.5 mile trail that runs through Hopewell Furnace and neighboring French Creek State Park. See Area Features Map.

A published author along with Stephen Kindig of the Atlas of Drawings of Structures Preserved by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County [2008], Ward has served as director and vice president of the trust. 

He continues to serve actively on the Board of Directors. He is a known bookseller, heading up Museum Books, LLC. He practiced law in Berks County from 1968-1997 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Providence College and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell's water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.

Hopewell to Stage 'Fragile Freedom' on Sept. 17

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

The Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite the public to a commemoration of 9/11/2001 with a presentation of  "Fragile Freedom," an original play by the international playwright Christine Emmert. The free program is slated for Sunday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Center.

On 9/11/2001, the crew and passengers of Flight 93 gave their lives to protect our American democracy and its rights. These rights are celebrated in "Fragile Freedom." 

Performing her own work, Emmert will take us on the journey from the country’s early history to the present day with tears, laughter, and many companions including Sojourner Truth, Mark Twain, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others. 

Along the way there will be new names that are not so easily recognized, but are nonetheless, important spirits in shaping a true democracy.

Playwright/director Christine Emmert is a writer, actress, director and educator. She holds a Masters in Humanities. Her story "Lilith" is out on Kindle along with her novel, "Ismene."  

Christine came to Hopewell as a volunteer writing, directing and acting in "From Out the Fiery Furnace" which is in its final year after nine years of performance. Her plays are seen throughout the English speaking world. 

 In 2016, she was a finalist in the Jane Goodall competition for 10 minute plays about endangered species.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings and learn about the iron making industry and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history and the development of our democratic freedoms.

The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345. For more information stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact the park by e-mail at hofu_superintendent@nps.gov.

Hopewell Free Program Sunday Highlights Archaeologists' Race Against Time at Philly Project

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace.

On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace will host Rutgers Archeologist Kimberlee Sue Moran’s presentation “The First Baptist Church of Philadelphia’s Burial Ground: the problem, project, and people of the past encountered at 218 Arch Street”. 

The free program will commence at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

In November of 2016, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article about bones found at a construction site on Arch Street. 

 The problem was that, as a private project, no city office was “in charge” of the human remains. The Mutter Institute, as a collaborative research organization associated with the study of historic human remains, approached the property developer with an interest to learn more about the bones found at the site. 

 What ensued was a race-against-time excavation of 218 Arch Street, part of the First Baptist Church cemetery, supposedly moved in 1860, and a continuing analysis of the people buried there between 1707 and 1859. 

This presentation will provide an overview of the project, what is currently known about the site, and the recovered human remains, and the future work of our multi-disciplinary team.

Kimberlee Sue Moran has been a practicing forensic archaeologist since 2002. She holds an undergraduate degree in Classical and Near Eastern archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and a Master’s of Science in forensic archaeological science from the Institute of Archaeology at University College, London. 

Her doctoral research is in the field of ancient fingerprints. Kimberlee worked as a contract archaeologist for a CRM firm based in Trenton, NJ, prior to moving to the UK. She moved back to New Jersey in 2010 and now works at Rutgers-Camden. She is an active member of the Society for American Archaeology and is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA).

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to explore Hopewell Furnace’s own Bethesda Baptist Church and graveyard, tour the village, hike the trails and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. 

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (now seven days a week thru October), the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345. For more information stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact the park by e-mail at hofu_superintendent@nps.gov.