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.