Jackson Township near Huntingdon in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Worker’s Pyramid
Greenwood Furnace State Park
It took hundreds of workers to produce iron, although only a few actually worked at the furnace. Fillers dumped carts of ore, charcoal and limestone into the seething tunnel head. The founder, assisted by a keeper, ordered ingredients, determined the amount of air to be blasted into the furnace and decided when to draw off the iron, usually every 12 hours. Guttermen directed molten iron into channels hoed into the sandy, cast house floor. Some furnaces employed moulders to make castings for iron stoves and utensils.
woodchoppers harvested wood necessary for the colliers to make charcoal. Miners dug iron ore, and quarried limestone. Teamsters hauled wagons of wood, charcoal, iron ore and pig iron. A bookkeeper kept company accounts, and a host of laborers and their families completed the unskilled jobs that kept both furnace and nearby village operating.
[Caption:]
An ironmaster, like Col. John A. Wright, owner of Greenwood Furnace (shown here), sat atop a pyramid of labor that reflected the skill, income and social standing of a furnace’s sizeable work force; Greenwood employed over 250.
Erected by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources.
Location. 40° 39.116′ N, 77° 45.201′ W. Marker is near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in Huntingdon County. It is in Jackson Township. Marker is on Broad Mountain Road. The marker is located in Greenwood Furnace State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Huntingdon PA 16652, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Basic Ingredients (here, next to this marker); From Mineral To Metal (a few steps from this marker); An Undeniable Presence (a few steps from this marker); An Industry in Ruins (a few steps from this marker); The “Best” Iron (a few steps from this marker); Greenwood Furnace (within shouting distance of this marker); Methodist Episcopal Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Blacksmith & Wagon Shop (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntingdon.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 21, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.