An Undeniable Presence
Greenwood Furnace State Park
The iron furnaces at Greenwood dominated this otherwise rural landscape. Beginning in 1834, and for most of 70 years, one or both of the two furnaces located here brightened the night with a fiery, multi-colored glow. For miles around, wood-choppers harvested vast tracts of forest. Colliers then slow-burned the logs into charcoal. Miners dug tons of iron ore from mines nearby, and wagons loaded with limestone lumbered along rustic roads from quarries over the mountain.
So, in 1904, when the last fire went out in furnace #2, an undeniable industrial presence disappeared from this valley. The forests that now surround you slowly reappeared, aided by seedlings grown at Greenwood Nursery, established here after the furnace closed.
[Captions:]
If you look carefully at this 19th century photo you will find Greenwood Furnaces stack #2 nearly enclosed by wooden buildings.
As this cutaway drawing shows, wooden buildings and machinery designed to fan the fire to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, always surrounded the flat-topped stone furnace. Commonly, only the stone stacks survive.
The owners of Greenwood built two furnaces. The oldest (the ruin in front of you on the left) roared to life in 1834. It rose 30 feet above a 30-foot square base and operated until 1880.
The second furnace (on the
this page online
Erected by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1834.
Location. 40° 39.108′ N, 77° 45.205′ W. Marker is near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in Huntingdon County. It is in Jackson Township. It is on Broad Mountain Road. This marker is 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.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: From Mineral To Metal (here, next to this marker); An Industry in Ruins (here, next to this marker); The Best Iron (here, next to this marker); Basic Ingredients (a few steps from this marker); The Workers Pyramid (a few steps from this marker); Greenwood Furnace (a few steps from 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 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 475 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 21, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
