Path of a Historic Waterway

Path of a Historic Waterway. . , This trail passes through what was once the streambed of Thompson Run, a tributary of Spring Creek. The stream powered waterwheels that operated air bellows at the furnace and ran a gristmill and a sawmill., Thompson Run was relocated off the property in the mid-20[th] century to make way for an expanded East College Avenue. Traces of the original waterway still flow through the front yard of Centre Furnace Mansion, across Porter Road., The mounds to the west of the path are remnants of a barn used to store charcoal, as seen in the photo below, and a ramp that led to top of the furnace stack for loading raw materials. Dressed stones from the barn foundation are still visible in some places., Iron ore was discovered nearby in the late 1700s. Charcoal iron manufacturing at Centre Furnace and other places from Bellefonte to Pine Grove Mills altered life in the Spring Creek Watershed. The remains of furnaces, ore washers and quarries can be found along its tributaries and hidden in its forests., Ironmaking brought wealth and political clout during the 19th century. This wealth is still reflected in the architecture found at Centre Furnace Mansion and other Georgian and Victorian structures, particularly those in Bellefonte., Political significance is evidenced by the election of five Centre County men as Pennsylvania governor and the selection of Centre Furnace lands as the site of Farmers High School, now Penn State University., [Bottom photo caption reads] The barn, which was used to store charcoal, stood until the 1890s, [Right photo caption reads] Thompson Run in front of Centre Furnace Mansion in the mid-19th century., A Growing Greener project, funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania DEP, helped reintroduce a simulated Thompson Run to the landscape of this site. This streambed helps tell the story of Centre Furnace and its relationship to Spring Creek while better handling and slowing down stormwater runoff.