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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Greene Township near Fayetteville in Franklin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop

 
 
Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 16, 2008
1. Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop Marker
Inscription. The stone walls of this old building have withstood the adversities of time and people to stand in mute testament of historical events that helped shape a nation.

Built in 1837, partners John Paxton and Thaddeus Stevens erected a blacksmith shop along the Chambersburg Pike as part of the Caledonia Iron Works. Following the Battle of Gettysburg only the stone walls remained. The shop was rebuilt and operated until 1895, twenty years after the iron furnace closed.

Thaddeus Stevens, businessman, lawyer, congressman, and father of the 14th Amendment, is perhaps the most famous unknown person in American history. During the Civil War it was Stevens who kept pressure on President Lincoln to use African-Americans as soldiers and to free the slaves.

Following the burning of Stevens' Caledonia Iron Works, now the site of Caledonia State Park, Stevens provided support for the unemployed families for as long as three years.

A Virginian, West Point graduate and state legislator, Jubal Early voted against secession, but returned to the army in defense of his state. Against direct orders not to destroy private property during the invasion of Pennsylvania, General Early, finding in his way the iron works of Congressman Stevens, who was advocating the most vindictive measures of confiscation and devastation against
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the south stated, "I [am] determined to destroy them." On June 26, 1863, Early put the Caledonia Iron Works to the torch.
 
Erected by Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Lincoln Highway series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1765.
 
Location. 39° 54.407′ N, 77° 28.721′ W. Marker is near Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, in Franklin County. It is in Greene Township. Marker is at the intersection of Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30) and State Route 233, on the right when traveling west on Lincoln Highway. Located in Caledonia State Park, near the crossing of the Appalachian Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1030 Lincoln Hwy, Fayetteville PA 17222, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Good Roads Jubilee / The Lincoln Highway (within shouting distance of this marker); Caledonia Furnace (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Caledonia Furnace (within shouting distance of this marker); Basic Ingredients (within shouting distance of this marker); Making Iron
Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 29, 2008
2. Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop Marker
(within shouting distance of this marker); The Workers Pyramid (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary Jemison (approx. 2.9 miles away); a different marker also named Mary Jemison (approx. 4˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fayetteville.
 
More about this marker. On the left side of the marker are photos of the shop at various stages of its history. Over the years, the blacksmith shop served as park office, trolley station, pool concession and a museum. In 1903 the ironworks became the second forest recreation park in Pennsylvania. The Chambersburg Trolley Company leased Caledonia Park in 1905. The blacksmith shop found new life as a trolley station. On the right are portraits of Stevens and Early.
 
Also see . . .
1. Thaddeus Stevens. Mr. Lincoln's White House website entry (Submitted on September 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

2. Thaddeus Stevens Society. The Thaddeus Stevens Society is a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the memory of Thaddeus Stevens. (Submitted on May 3, 2009, by Thaddeus Stevens Society of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.) 

3. The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. (Submitted on June 3, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.)
Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 16, 2008
3. Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop
 
Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 16, 2008
4. Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop
A view from the park side of the shop.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 6,499 times since then and 138 times this year. Last updated on July 10, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1. submitted on September 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.   2. submitted on December 3, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.   3, 4. submitted on September 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024