Conestoga Township near Safe Harbor in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Iron Works

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 30, 2018

1. Iron Works Marker

Inscription. In 1846 the Safe Harbor blast furnace, foundry and rolling mill, using anthracite for fuel, were built by Reeves, Abbott & Co. Great quantities of iron and rails were produced for the Pennsylvania R.R., incorporated in the same year. During the Civil War wrought iron cannon were manufactured for the Union Army.

Erected by Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.

Location. 39° 56.12′ N, 76° 23.138′ W. Marker is near Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County. It is in Conestoga Township. Marker is on River Road south of Main Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located on the west side of the road, within the grounds of Safe Harbor Park, overlooking the Conestoga River. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5365 River Road, Conestoga PA 17516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Houses for Employees of the Safe Harbor Iron Works (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Conestoga Indian Town (approx. ¼ mile away); Port of Lancaster (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bird Watching Platform (approx. 0.7 miles

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away); In Honor (approx. one mile away); Conestoga (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Conestoga Indian Town (approx. 1.9 miles away); Justices met for the first time in Lancaster County and held several Courts of Justice (approx. 2.9 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Safe Harbor Village History. In 1846, Reeves Abbot & Company from Philadelphia selected the Safe Harbor area to build the Safe Harbor Iron Works. The location for industry was ideal with the downriver navigation and canals on both the Susquehanna and Conestoga Rivers. Construction of the Historic Safe Harbor Village and Iron Works required about two years and production began in August 1848. The rolling mill was the largest of all the structures. It covered over an acre of ground and stood on the site of the present Safe Harbor Park's tennis courts. (Submitted on August 31, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Forging America: The History of Bethlehem Steel. John Fritz was born in 1822 on a farm in Londonderry Township in western Chester County. He attended school until he was 16, when he was apprenticed to a blacksmith in nearby Parkesburg and learned to repair threshers and other farm machinery. In 1844, he helped build an iron mill in the Montgomery

Iron Works Marker (<i>wide view north; River Road on the right; Safe Harbor Park on the left</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 30, 2018

2. Iron Works Marker (wide view north; River Road on the right; Safe Harbor Park on the left)

County borough of Norristown, gaining experience in blast furnace technology. He moved on to a rail mill and blast furnace at Safe Harbor on the Susquehanna River, about 10 miles from Lancaster, despite a warning from an acquaintance that it was the worst place in Pennsylvania for a deadly "fever and ague." (Submitted on August 31, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 516 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 31, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.