Greenwood Furnace

"One of Nature's Beauty Spots" When the iron furnace closed in 1904, the Greenwood Furnace landscape reflected more than seventy years of industrial use. Yet a mere twenty years later, Greenwood Furnace was known as a place of scenic beauty. In 1924, the Department of Forestry created the "Greenwood Public Camp". The old dam was repaired and camping shelters were built. By the early 1930s, picnic pavilions, and a small beach with a dressing stockade greeted early park visitors.

"Greenwood Furnace Will Be Changed Into Park" The Decade of the 1930's was one of the greatest in terms of conservation work in PA's forests. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), in 1933. Their purpose was two-fold--to ease the unemployment of young men while performing conservation work. New facilities were needed as the park was growing in popularity' Three different CCC camps built facilities in the park. The dam was rebuilt and included an electrical generator. The beach was enlarged and bordered by a stone wall and a new dressing stockade was built. These facilities used local stone and logs in their construction, and were designed to look like they are part of the natural environment. Some still survive today --a testament to the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Recreation, History, and Education-Following World War II, Greenwood Furnace remained a popular recreation area and in 1968, became Greenwood Furnace State Park. A new modern campground was built and other facilities were upgraded. Since the late 1970s, archaeological investigations have revealed much of the history buried in the ground. Educational programming began to focus on the heritage of the furnace. In 2003, a new Visitor Center, Park Office, Beach building, and restrooms were added to the park. In 1989, Greenwood Furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic District. In 1995, ASM International---The Materials Information Society (formerly the American Society for Metals), recognized this site as a National Landmark, the 95th site in the world to be so honored recognizing the superior grade of Greenwood Iron that helped with the westward expansion of America.